Where The Light Enters
by RavensGame
Summary: Three years was a long time to try and hold her makeshift family together, but Mai had done her best. But the team had experienced more downs than ups, and no one was the same, except, maybe Naru himself. He asked her for her help pulling the team back together, but can seven people who had gone through so much really go back to the way things were? And did Mai really want to?
1. Chapter 1

_**AN: Not my sandbox. Just dabbling in the Ghosthunt Fandom. Will be a multicase Fic where I take pleasure in torturing the various characters and wringing emotion from our favorite canon pairs. Mai/Naru, Ayako & Bou-San, and (bonus pairing) Masako & Yasu. Though, in Naru's case, it's a little bit like trying to wring blood from the proverbial stone...**_

 _ **As Always, Reviews mean the world to me. The Ghost Hunt Fandom is small but strong. It's a lot of fun to write for you guys!**_

 _ **Cliffnotes for enjoying this ride: Don't piss off Ayako, don't play cards with Mai, don't underestimate Bou-San. Bring your own tea. And remember, you can't always trust what you see**_.

 **Where The Light Enters**

 **Prologue: The Beginning of the End**

" _And I'd choose you; in a hundred worlds, in any version of reality, I'd find you and I'd choose you." -_ _ **The Chaos of Stars**_

Love isn't supposed to destroy.

The full hunter's moon cast a sickly orange glow over the clearing. Harsh breathing was the only sound as the two figures struggled at the cliff's edge.

"Damn it, Naru! The ground's giving way! You have to let go!" Adrenaline and fear had made Mai's voice tight and high, but even now she could take a twisted sort of pride in the fact that it didn't _shake_.

Just once, she didn't want him to be her collateral damage. Lin's words from the church that night months ago echoed in her head like a premonition.

Dirt and dust rained down onto her face, tears streaming from her eyes as her left hand scrabbled desperately for purchase.

It was useless, though, the whole side of the cliff was loose shale. Nothing but ever-shifting gravel met her questing fingers. She felt the pain in her fingertips where she'd torn off at least one fingernail trying to cling to the cliff side.

If not for the stoic ( _silent_ - _stubborn_ - _narcissistic_ ) young man half hanging over the cliff above her, both hands wrapped desperately around her one, she'd have already fallen into the river below.

Far, far below.

But they'd been in the exact situation before, too many times, and the conclusion was always the same.

She'd start to fall, he'd refuse to let go, he'd go over with her, and they'd both pay for her uncanny ability to attract trouble.

But not this time, not if she had a anything to say about it.

Even larger clumps of rock and dirt were falling on her now, and she knew any second the whole cliffside would go down, taking them both with it.

Love wasn't supposed to destroy.

Another, even larger clump of earth shifted loose beneath him, narrowly missing her head. He couldn't balance half over the cliff much longer before they'd both go over. She could see the sweat beading on his brow, the strain around his eyes as he tried to strengthen his grip on her hand.

They were out of time.

"Naru.." she choked out again, voice low and desperate. "It's okay." She stared into eyes she'd loved for more than three years now. "You have to let go.."

She could do this. She could be this strong. She'd saved the others.

Silence was his only reply, face straining with the effort of trying to stave off the inevitable.

She gazed into his furious face. She knew that expression. She'd seen it years ago, in the cave of the Okoubu.

He was about to use his PK, probably to try and levitate her...

It would kill him.

And what wouldn't she do? To be the person who saved him for once?

"Dammit Naru, I'm NOT Gene!" She screamed at him. His face went blank, his widened eyes the only clue to his shock at her words.

She'd break his heart if it saved his life.

Then the remaining cliffside gave way beneath them.


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: Not my Sandbox...Ps., my laptop died a heroic death this morning. I'm writing this on my phone, which has got to be the best excuse for crappy formatting I've ever heard...**_

 **Where The Light Enters**

 **Chapter 1: Hospital Hijinx**

 _"Not till we are lost...do we begin to find ourselves." - Thoreau_

Mai sighed as she climbed out of Yasu's car, wearily stretching her tight muscles. It had been a long trip made even longer by the doubts swirling in a knot in her stomach.

She _really_ hoped she'd made the right decision.

Beside her, Yasu whistled. "Just a couple of weeks back on the job and we're already taking on the hard cases. Big Boss isn't playing around..."

The sunlight glinted off his glasses as he surveyed the dilapidated building in front of them.

Mai could only nod in agreement as she came to stand beside her best friend.

Unlike her first case years ago, this building really was an old hospital, shut down shortly after the war. Dusty windows stared out at them like eyes glazed with with time and illness. The whole place gave off a feeling of malicious watchfulness. The building seemed to shimmer in the dry heat now, but Mai still felt a shiver crawl up her spine.

She was looking forward to the dreams this case was sure to give her.

 _Not_.

"Are we sure this building is even safe to walk around in?" Masako queried in quiet disbelief as she rose gracefully from the seat in the back.

Mai still wasn't used to seeing her friend in normal clothes, although it had been several months since Masako had forsworn her Kimonos. Thinking about that just made the doubts in her stomach swirl faster, and she had to physically swallow down apprehension.

"Hopefully everyone's up to date on their tetanus shots..." Ayako said wryly from the far side of the car. Her expression made it quite clear what she thought of the weathered building. The red-head sniffed in disdain as she walked around the car to stand beside them.

Somehow the three girls had ended up in Yasu's car while John had been with Bou-San.

Naru had, of course, ridden with Lin. Naru had implied that she should ride with him and Lin in the van that morning when they'd all set off from the office. Instead she had grabbed her copy of the case file to read in the car before calling shotgun and diving into Yasu's car. Naru has looked at her with his usual fathomless gaze before silently climbing in the van.

She'd felt guilty, if only for a second, but she had known it was for the best. And really, she shouldn't even feel guilty about it. Things had to stay professional between them this time around. She was determined to be useful, mature and most of all, _professional_.

For everyone's sake.

John and Bou-San were climbing out of the car pulled behind Yasu, and the late April heat made the still country air shimmer with lazy sunlight. Dust danced in lazy swirls and every once in while, a lone cricket would chirp.

It would have been almost peaceful had her skin not broken out in goosebumps a mile back down the road. This place was definitely-

"Haunted". Masako declared, now standing beside Mai. Mai nodded in agreement, crossing her arms around herself for a second as another shudder wracked her frame.

It felt like there was someone watching them from inside the abandoned building. Considering they were Ghost Hunters, that in itself wasn't surprising.

And yet...

There was something unsettling about the watchfulness. Almost like it was amused.

Like it wanted them to come in.

And that was enough to set off a few screaming warnings in her mind.

Even Bou-San and Lin were studying the place with a wary gaze. Naru wasted no time on the building, instead, his gaze flitted between his team members, gauging their reactions.

Only John's face, once so open, was now a closed book as he methodically trudged to the back of the van. Opening the doors, he began silently unloading this equipment.

With a pang of guilt, she started forward to help him. She hadn't convinced him to join the team to take over her responsibilities as pack mule, no matter what their new titles were.

"Mai." Naru said her name simply, the command implied. She stopped reluctantly, teeth catching her bottom lip as she looked over at Naru cautiously.

She'd felt him watching her a moment ago, but hadn't made eye contact in case he was still irritated with her.

"Let's do our walk through first. The blue prints showed several possible rooms for base, but we won't know which are actually safe enough to use until we do our walk through". He turned away, confident enough in her acquiescence that he didn't bother to continue to watch her.

His high-handedness kindled a familiar flame of resentment in her, but she squashed it down ruthlessly. Attraction and resentment had always gone hand in hand in her when it came to Naru, and she refused to give either a foothold this time.

But it would help if the jerk didn't always look so good.

Though she hated leaving John alone to unload the heavy equipment by himself, she reluctantly nodded.

"I'll help him." Yasu said cheerfully, patting her on the shoulder as he walked past her to join the ex-priest. Shooting him a grateful look, she turned away, walking quickly to where Naru was waiting with subtle but apparent impatience.

Lin and Naru led the way, with Mai and Masako just behind, and Bou-San and Ayako bringing up the rear.

The air was heavy and unpleasant, and Mai found herself stifling the urge to clear her throat as she looked around warily.

"Why build a hospital so far in the middle of nowhere?" Bou-San asked, looking around the dusty entry way. Late afternoon sunlight slanted through boarded up windows, dust swirling where their feet had kicked it astir. The whole place smelled of must and rot, the boards beneath their feet seemed to dip and sway with their steps.

"There was a base here, at the time. A weapons testing facility of some sort, according to rumors. The base was moved after the war, and the land sold at public auction." Mai answered softly, the aura of the place making her voice unconsciously husky.

She saw Naru glance at her, perhaps in surprise that she had actually read the case file. She couldn't help the small, wry smile that graced her lips for a second. Of all the things that had changed over the last three years, for that to be what surprised him...

"But who would buy this place?" Ayako asked, nose wrinkled in distaste and Mai wondered if she was mentally comparing it to the bright and sterile hospital where she usually worked.

"Some big-shot corporation has plans for this whole area. But every time they try to start demolition, something happens to stop it." Naru supplied in his usual clipped voice.

Mai opened her mouth to ask a question of her own, but at the moment, _something_ rushed at them.

It was quick, that much was for sure. Mai hadn't even had time to sense it's presence before the world turned dark as she stumbled back into the wall behind her.

 **Cold**...

 **Eyes watching...**

She tumbled effortlessly into the memory-

 _Mai's hands shook just the tiniest bit as she got down the tea cup from the shelf. Reaching below the counter for the seldom used box of Earl Grey Tea, she carefully set out a bag._

 _'Breathe, Mai, just breathe...'_

"SitRep!" She heard Naru say, her mind slowly sorting the still unfamiliar phrase, one of many that he had brought back with him after his three year absence.

She tried to make herself speak, but found herself coughing instead. She had slid down the wall to sit on the dusty floor, and a thick warmth coursing sluggishly down her face told her she apparently had a nosebleed.

What was _that_?

At least she hadn't fallen through the floor...

"That...sucked." She finally said bluntly, looking around warily. Her head felt heavy and she struggled to get a deep breath.

Masako was laying unconscious on the ground beside her, but already appeared to be stirring. A white-faced Bou-San was hovering over an agitated but equally pale Ayako who had managed to catch herself on the door frame. She waved him away harshly, the split second pain on his face was an arrow straight into Mai's own heart.

Even Lin had dropped to one knee, and like her, appeared to have a small nosebleed.

"Mai." The stern command again as she forced herself to look up at her employer. He was kneeling beside her in the dust, and one part of her still dazed brain couldn't help but think that black was a horrible choice for a ghost hunter after all...

"Mai!" Naru said a little firmer, pressing a handkerchief to her face. He leaned over her, blocking her view of the others. His tone demanded her attention. She forced her scattered thoughts into a rough semblance of order.

"All good, boss." She said finally, coughing on another mouthful of dust. His eyes drilled into hers for a second, searching for a lie before leaning back on his heels.

Lin and Bou-San were helping a dazed Masako sit up now.

"That was...unpleasant." Masako said disdainfully.

Mai snorted, and even Lin cracked the barest of smiles for a second.

"Would anyone care to fill me in..." Naru said. His impatience showed in his voice but his hands were surprisingly gentle as he urged her head forward and down. "It will stop in a moment, don't move." He commanded softly. The warmth of his hand on the back of her neck contrasted starkly with the leaden chill in her limbs.

The others looked around for a moment, gathering their thoughts, trying to put the event into words.

"Well..." Bou-San started, before trailing off.

"It felt like..." Masako added, scrunching her nose delicately.

Mai pushed herself to her feet, pleased that the world remained on its proper axis. At least she hadn't hit her head anyway. The bleeding had stopped also.

But somehow she still felt...violated.

Like someone had just run a finger down her spine from the inside, counting her vertabrae.

She looked at Naru, who still stood next to her with a hand out reached, barely brushing the back of her neck, though his attention was focused fully on his bewildered team members.

She took a deep, steadying breath, trying to marshal not just her thoughts but her feelings.

"I think the ghost just...well. The ghost just gave _us_ a walk though." Mai said, hoping she made some kind of sense.

Naru's full attention had zeroed in on her at her words, and she could feel him testing each one, weighing and sorting them in his mind.

"You think the ghost was testing you? Your sensitivity? Your abilities?" Naru said after a moment, narrowing his eyes at her. She shrugged helplessly, unsure of a better way to phrase her feelings.

"What the hell happened?" A voice asked from the doorway and Mai winced. Though his accent had improved greatly over the years, the profanity from her once religious friend only added to her growing headache.


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N- Just to make sure everyone's picking up what I'm putting down. This story takes place roughly three years after the end of the anime. Gene's body was found, and shortly after the disastrous "confession", our favorite Narcissist packed up his gear, his ever silent assistant and left Japan. I felt like this was a reasonable amount of time since**_ _**Naru would probably want to finish his college coursework. By my count, Mai and Masako, the youngest of the bunch would have been nearly 17 when Naru left. Currents ages (give or take), would be : Mai and Masako (20), Naru and Yasu (21), John (23), Ayako (27), Monk, (30ish) and who knows about Lin. He's probably immortal. That's all the spoilers for now**_ **.**

 _ **As Always- Not my sandbox.**_

 _ **Ps- Reviews are like Tea...authors need them to function...**_

 **Where The Light Enters**

Chapter 2: Hijinx On Hold

" _The world breaks everyone, and afterward, many are stronger at the broken places_." - **Ernest Hemingway**

Mai stared drowsily at the cup of tea in her hand, then blinked, straightening quickly. Looking around, she recognized the Tea Shop where she had worked part time during the three years SPR had been on hiatus.

The last thing she remembered was lugging their gear into base after the walk through of the abandoned hospital. Too many of the rooms had been deemed unsound, so after setting up as many cameras as they safely could, they'd grabbed their sleeping bags from Monk's car and built a rough campsite outside the front of the hospital.

She must be asleep then.

After Naru had left with Gene's remains, Mai had never neen able to make contact with Gene again. She wasn't sure if it had been a matter of proximity or the tangle of ensuing emotions that had interfered.

Or perhaps Gene had simply moved on, though it hurt to think that he hadn't even waited to say goodbye.

Whatever the reason, Mai had quickly found herself floundering around the astral plain, sucked into the wavelengths of whatever wandering spirit happened to be close enough her when she fell asleep. Without Gene there to ground and guide her, her escalating powers had gone haywire.

It had gotten so bad for a while that she'd been forced to stop going on cases with Monk, John or Ayako. She'd gotten a rather cruel crash course in the darker side of humanity as her powers had made her the unwilling viewer of more than one tragedy as the ghosts around her relived their deaths.

Sleeping had been impossible, and the constant onslaught of pain and suffering had made her feel isolated, alone and more than a little crazy.

Those days were so dark that she still had trouble even thinking about, much less talking about them. Even most of her SPR family had no real idea of how bad it had gotten, and honestly, that was how she preferred it.

Finally, in desperation she'd reached out to Masako who'd helped her contact Madoka. Though every medium was different, she had also gotten her hands on some books, and therefore some techniques, that seemed to help.

She'd started keeping a dream journal, to better reflect on what she saw, heard or felt in her dreams. Her old house key was no longer just her lucky charm, it had become her "anchor" whenever she traveled in her dreams.

With practice, she was able to unconsciously shape her astral plain into the form of the Tea Shop, with its comfortable, worn-in furniture, and the ever present scent of tea to make her feel safe. Her key hung on a chain around her neck, and simply by clasping it in her hand, she could return from her astral wanderings to this place.

And she managed to shut the door on those dark, chaotic months when she'd been a victim of her own abilities.

But...something wasn't right. Looking around her, a deep unease crept through her. This was her tea shop, her astral plain. Nothing happened in this place that she didn't will into being. No one could come in. That was the entire point of the Tea Shop.

It kept everyone else out.

So why was there a ceramic mug of some dark liquid across the counter from her?

Who was she waiting for?

Or...were they already here?

Feeling her breathing quicken, she slowly reached out her hand, drawing the mug closer to her.

It was cold to the touch, but the viscous liquid inside was warm, _steaming_ almost.

A coppery scent reached her nostrils and she gagged in surprise at the suddenly overwhelming stench of blood.

What was happening?

An amused chuckle reached her ears, but her instincts screamed at her that nothing about this was funny.

And she began to get mad.

This was _her_ place damn it.

She forced herself to look up, stilling the tremors, focusing on her indignation rather than terror.

"Get out." She said forcefully to the man sitting at the table directly in front of her.

" _You are not invited_!" She added, glaring.

Cold, clinical eyes stared back at her and she forced her hands to clench on the table, locked her legs to stop herself from backing away.

This was her place, and she refused to relinquish the hard-won haven.

"Very Interesting..." The man (spirit? Demon?) murmured, reaching out a pale hand like a claw towards her, caressing a lock of her hair.

Despite herself, she reared back. A sudden banging on the door made them both turn, the spirit in interest and her in shock.

Who the hell was banging on the door of her astral plain?

None of this should be possible...

"Well, someone wants in." The man smiled, and it was worse than anything else because it was so damn... empty.

 _He_ was an empty thing, a gaping hole-

Mai sat up suddenly with a gasp, fighting the confines of her sleeping bag for a moment before she took a few deep breaths, centering herself.

She looked around the campsite. The fire burned low, but dawn had already started to break between the trees. Mist drifted softly from the ground.

Yasu was snoring softly to one side of her, but Masako's sleeping bag beyond him was empty. On her other side, Bou-San's bag was also empty, but she could see his silhouette, laying on the hood of his car facing the campsite. She knew he'd never wander too far from where Ayako was sleeping nearby. Across the fire, John snored softly.

Slipping into her boots (she'd learned by now to wear appropriate footwear to these things), she approached Bou-San softly.

"Lin and Naru are still in the base." He supplied without her having to ask. He looked tired, and she wounded if he'd even tried to rest.

"And Masako?" She whispered, not wanting to wake the sleepers.

The monk nodded over his shoulder, where there was an old clearing some distance from the hospital. She could see Masako, a dark silhouette with the rising sun as her backdrop as she practiced her Katas.

She smiled a little at Bou-San before walking towards Masako. She watched for a moment before walking a little closer and joining her, letting the familiar movements soothe away the last vestiges of the dream.

Normally she'd fill in her journal before anything else, but it wasn't quite light enough to write yet.

Soon her muscles were burning gently. Her breath steamed from her lips in the early morning chill.

She personally preferred yoga, but Masako had needed something more physical in the weeks after her attack. She'd needed something to make her feel strong again and Mai, unwilling to let her friend deal with everything by herself had dutifully tagged along.

They'd gone together for several months after Masako had been released from the hospital. Mai was nowhere near as good as Masako, however, and she never practiced sparring. Mai had more than enough demons of her own in her mind. She didn't need to go to a Dojo if she wanted a battle. Most nights she fought wars in her dreams.

She had gone mostly to support her friend, who had still been nervous about going places alone.

After about half an hour, she stopped, choosing to bow to the sun as the door to her imaginary "Dojo", before moving to the clearing's edge and sitting down to watch Masako finish.

She felt more than heard Naru come up behind her. He stood over her while she leaned back on her hands, watching her graceful friend make the martial arts movements look like dance moves. He stood surprisingly close. If she leaned back just a little bit more, she'd practically be leaning against his legs.

But that was something she'd have been all too eager to do as a teenager.

And then she'd have gotten her feelings stomped on when Naru would have promptly stepped away.

Because Naru didn't like people touching him unnecessarily, and she wasn't falling down that rabbit rabbit hole again anyway.

"Your katas need work." He commented after a moment.

She rolled her eyes. "Jerk." She didn't bother to look up at him. She could picture his smirk in her mind as easily as she could picture any of his other expressions (not that he often used most of them).

The silence stretched between them. His closeness was starting to make her a little self-conscious.

"She'll be down in about ten more minutes, I think." She said finally, just to break the tension.

Naru said nothing for a moment, and then,

"What don't I know?"

 _Everything_ , she thought sadly. So much had happened. But right now, it was obvious he was referring to Masako. Even in the stillness of the clearing, a quiet rage simmered in the smooth movements of Masako's routine.

Mai bit her lip, uncomfortable discussing her friend's private problems with a man who'd practically become a stranger to them. Masako should get to decide what to tell him, if anything.

"Mai." He said her name like it was a warning and she sighed, rubbing her forehead tiredly.

"You really should ask her." She said, looking up at him pleadingly.

His indigo eyes granted her no mercy, however. "Part your job description this time around was to help me re-build this team. I can't properly use their talents if I don't know whenever I'm about to inadvertently step on an emotional landmine."

Her eyes widened. Since when did Naru give a damn about people's emotions?

"Close your mouth, Mai. It makes you look even stupider." He said calmly, and she flushed, fisting her hands at her sides.

"And that's the Naru we know and love.." She drolled, eyes flashing. Good to know some things hadn't changed.

"Mai, what is going on with Masako?" Naru demanded, his voice colder than the sudden chill in the air.

Wrapping her arms around herself, she sighed again. She closed her eyes, reluctantly bringing up the memories of that horrible night months past.

"You heard about the serial killer she was helping the Tokyo police with last year?" Mai asked finally, facing forward again.

Naru nodded impatiently. Mai swallowed, her mouth suddenly bone dry.

"Well, what the press didn't find out about was that after the third victim she had helped the police locate, the killer switched his focus...to her". Mai stared straight ahead, lost in her memories.

What happened?" Naru asked calmly, as if they weren't discussing the stalking and attempted murder of one of her best friends.

She closed her eyes, forcing the words out. "The police decided to set a trap using her a bait. She agreed, even though we begged her not to. I'd had a bad feeling about it, and I was right. The killer was one of the city coroners, and he slipped right through their cordon. No one even looked twice at a city official. If I hadn't managed to astral travel to her and find out where she was, we wouldn't have reached the morgue in time."

"I see." Naru said quietly.

"No, you don't" Mai snapped, getting upset despite her best intentions. These were hard memories for her to face also. She'd felt so helpless to help her friend.

"He wasn't just a killer, Naru. He was a stalker. He'd send flowers to her on set, take pictures of her getting changed. He'd call her house a dozen times a night. He wrote her letters, calling her "Hime" or his "Little Doll". He'd text her things, things he shouldn't have been able to know. She spent weeks terrified, and then he _took_ her. When we found her, he'd dressed her up in this horrible kimono he'd stitched together from old, bloody lab coats-" She trailed off suddenly, swallowing a gasp, the fragments of her dream suddenly rising in her mind.

Lab coats.

Where had she just seen someone in a lab coat?

The memory was just there, just out of reach but she could feel that it was important-

"Mai? Mai? MAI!" Dimly she felt hands grasp her shoulders.

Had he always been so quick to touch her? He'd had an obvious disdain for touching people as a teenager...

But the lab coat. She knew it was important somehow-

"Can you hear me, Mai?" This time the words were accompanied by the gentlest of shakes.

Her eyes finally flew to his. "Naru, he was a doctor."

"Yes Mai, coroners are Doctor". Naru said, eyes closing in frustration at her apparent lack of sense.

"No, not Masako's stalker. The man from the Tea Shop." She said impatiently, shaking her head as the dream began to slip together in her mind like a macabre puzzle.

"You are making less sense than usual, Mai." Naru scowled at her, still gripping her shoulders. Frowning, he stood, dragging her to her feet as well.

Their rising voices had drawn Masako, but Mai directed her words to the young man still staring down at her in frustration.

"My dream, Naru. He was in my astral plane. And he was wearing a doctor's lab coat." She looked at him, eyes wide.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Mai smiled gratefully at Bou-San as he handed her a cup of tea. The morning light hadn't chased the chill from her. She wasn't sure it was possible in this place.

"To be clear, your astral plane is a Tea Shop?" Naru said, the barest hint of disbelief in his voice.

Mai shrugged uncomfortably. "Not always. I still travel and have dreams. But I needed a...home base of sorts. Somewhere I could center myself. Madoka helped me practice controlling my reality on the astral plane. That's just how it ended up looking when I mastered the centering technique. My astral 'base' is the Tea Shop and my good luck key acts as my anchor."

"The Shop where I came to see you when I first returned to Japan?" Naru asked musingly. He seemed to be having a little trouble keeping up with her. She supposed it was hard to understand from the outside. It made perfect sense to her, because, well, it was _her_ mind.

"The same." She agreed. "But nothing like this has ever happened before. The Tea Shop exists to protect me from wandering spirits. If I want to explore the dream, I have to go out the door. Otherwise, nothing and no one should be able to come inside. Doors are kinda my specialty at this point. But this man, this...Doctor, was just sitting there as easy as can be..."

Mai trailed off lowly, the horror of her statement starting to truly sink in.

The Spirit had somehow managed to control her Astral Plane.

"He was controlling my dream." She whispered, closing her eyes to steel herself.

"What about G- your spirit guide?" Naru corrected himself quickly.

Her eyes flew to his. In the six weeks he'd been back, he'd never brought up Gene, and she had't either.

No one other than Naru, Masako, Yaso and Madoka even knew that Gene's Spirit had been acting as her spirit guide years ago. The others only knew her guide was no longer with her.

"He's...been gone for a long time, Naru. I sorta figured everything else out on my own". She mumbled quietly, dropping her eyes.

The horror of the Doctor controlling her dream brought back unpleasant memories of those dark weeks after Naru had first left.

All around them their teammates were making a show of looking everywhere but at them. They might not have known the specifics, but they could tell it was a touchy subject.

"I see." Naru said stonily, and she barely managed to avoid flinching. His voice had an edge she could cut herself on if she wasn't careful.

But why did he sound like he was mad at her? Didn't he already know all of this from Gene?

Perhaps Gene had truly moved on...

Naru turned back to their teammates, suddenly all business. "Masako, what did you sense yesterday?"

Masako closed her eyes, schooling her own thoughts. "There are a multitude of low level spirits in this building, but I don't think they're the ones causing the problems. They feel listless and tired, faded almost. But this other thing, the thing that rushed us in the entry way when we first arrived. That must be Mai's Doctor. It's too restless, too fast for me to get a good sense of him, but he's certainly strong enough to cause trouble with the demolition. It's strange, he feels...hollow, somehow."

"Empty." Mai whispered and Yasu squeezed her shoulder in silent encouragement.

Masako nodded. "I would agree with empty. And...calculating, almost. Clinical".

"It's studying us." Lin's deep voice carried easily from where he stood on the porch.

The team looked over at him warily as he continued speaking. "He's curious. That's why it seems empty to you, Mai. It's watching us in order to learn."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N- Not my sandbox. Okay, So, I'm American. I use inches and feet and degrees Fahrenheit which I know is untrue to the Ghosthunt verse, but please just bear with me. Also, I have seen all of the episodes of the anime, read the translated 1st light novel, and have spent some healthy time on google. So if I get some terribly important canon detail wrong, please forgive me. Reviews are love...**

 **Where The Light Enters**

Chapter 3: Hostile Hijinx

 _"What matters most is how well you walk through the fire."_ \- **Charles Bukowski**

The seven of them crowded around Lin at the row of monitors, the low sound of their small generator humming from outside the window. The lobby had been the only room Naru had approved as sturdy enough to hold the weight of the banks of monitors and computers.

"Was there any additional activity, Lin?" Naru asked impatiently.

"A great deal. But it was so unusual I first attributed in to human or mechanical error." Lin replied in his deep voice that Mai sometimes imagined became rusty from disuse.

"What do you mean?" Mai asked, bristling a little. She had helped set up over half the cameras and thermometers herself, after all. Did Lin think she had caused the misreadings?

From across the room, John shot her a tired smile of his own, having been in charge of the other half of the equipment.

Naru shot her a silencing look. "Lin?"

"Here." Lin pointed to one monitor, then another. "And here. All night long, rooms all over the building would drop temperature. But it was always the exact same drop."

"Ten degrees for precisely five minutes. Then the next room." Naru murmured.

"Like it was cycling between the rooms?"

Lin nodded curtly. "That is how it appears. In fact, it's not unlike the testing we ourselves might put the equipment through if we suspected it of being faulty."

"Despite the poor conditions, the buildings's foundations are still stable. The place may be starting to rot, but the framework itself is surprisingly sound." Naru muttered as he studied the screens.

"We've already ruled out land subsidence." John added, showing the group his own chart.

Mai was glad Naru had agreed to take John on as his second full time assistant.

John might have lost his faith, but he was still smart, and his experience was useful.

"It's like he's running an experiment." Naru spoke, almost to himself as he studied the charts and readouts.

Her team mates looked at each other in surprise.

"The bastard's toying with us..." Bou-San marveled lowly. Behind him, Ayako's frown deepened.

Mai found herself nodding. Naru's supposition felt dead on. That was part of what made everything feel so eerie. For once, she was on the other side of the experiment.

"Lin's right. He's testing us, our equipment, our responses. He's a scientist". Naru said, a grim tone in his voice.

Mai felt Masako glide closer to her, and she reached out to clasp the younger girl's hand.

A mad scientist in an abandoned hospital.

Didn't that just bring back fond memories.

Still, a part of her was more angry than scared, frustrated that the doctor's spirit had been able to traverse her own astral plane so easily.

That couldn't happen. She'd learned the hard way that her powers could be every bit as dangerous as Naru's if they weren't controlled.

"I'm going to go hand check the equipment, just to be safe." Mai said, straightening. She knew if she didn't force herself to face the building, and subsequently the ghost, head on,

her fear of him would only grow.

She couldn't let the spirit have that kind of power over her.

"Are you sure that's such a good idea, Mai? You've already admitted that he can get past your usual safeguards..." Ayako said worriedly.

Mai smiled. It felt false to her, but she knew from long practice that it looked fine. She was very good at meaningless smiles.

"It's not like he did anything, though. Like Lin said, he was just testing me. And while I do have a ridiculous amount of experience making tea, I still have a few tricks he hasn't seen." She raised two fingers, silently mimicking the first movement of the offensive warding Ayako has taught her years ago.

"Careful what you wish for..." Yasu murmured, pushed his glasses distractedly up his nose again. "Big Boss, I'm going to head to the nearest town, see what I can find out from the locals that we don't already have in the files, if that's alright with you?"

Naru nodded, seeming to already be resigned to Yasu's insistence upon calling him "Big Boss".

Naru turned to Bou-San. "Bou-San, will you and Masako please do a walk through of your own? Take a copy of the floor plan and have Masako help you mark rooms requiring exorcism. We'll begin this afternoon. Ayako, there may be more spirits here than Bou-San can handle on his own, will you and John please survey the area outside to see if you will be capable of doing one of you Tree Spirit Cleansings if needed?"

With a last frown, Ayako nodded and turned away, John following silently behind. Monk watched her as she exited.

Forcing her thoughts away from Monk and Ayako, Mai grabbed her clipboard and rummaged around the desktop for a pen...hadn't she just seen one here a moment ago?

Suddenly a hand hovered in front of her face, pen offered. Her eyes followed the black jacketed arm to her boss's blank face.

Though his face was the usual expressionless mask, she could swear he was laughing at her internally.

Jerk.

"Thank you..." She murmured drily, turning to walk out of the room. She glanced back in surprise when she realized he was following.

"Did you need something else?" She asked lightly, gripping the handrail as she began the ascent up the stairs. The last thing she wanted to do was fall on her ass in front of him.

"No one goes anywhere alone." He said simply.

"I set the equipment up by myself yesterday. And Lin..."

She paused as she realized that meant Naru must have left Lin alone last night for quite some time, otherwise the results would not have been news to him.

Had he been at the campsite with them and she not realize it?

It wasn't like him to leave base the first night of an investigation.

"I was asleep at base for a while. And then I came out to check on you all. There aren't any cameras at the campsite." He responded coolly.

"Hmmm.." she murmured in agreement.

Suddenly her foot caught on a loose board on the top step, and she pitched forward onto the dusty floor. Catching herself on her hands and knees, she sat up to see her boss watching her blankly.

Well, if she was honest with herself, nothing about this was a new feeling. She grimaced, face flushing.

"Good to see some things haven't changed." He said, reaching out a lazy hand to help her up.

She started to reach for it, then paused, this mornings troubling revelations causing her to hesitate.

Had he really not known about Gene no longer being her spirit guide? She was beginning to feel like she was skirting pockets of quicksand with him. He'd never been easy to read, but she'd hadn't let it bother her when they were teens. Now she had no idea where she stood with him.

And they weren't kids anymore.

He merely raised a brow at her hesitation, reaching forward the rest of the way to clasp her wrist, pulling her nonchalantly to her feet. His easy strength shot a thrill down her despite her best intentions.

She needed to get a handle on _that_ , ASAP.

"Thank you." She said reluctantly, turning briskly away.

They made quick work of the upper floor, and were nearly back to the staircase when Mai suddenly felt the air around them chill.

"Naru..." She stage whispered, glancing up to where he stood a few feet away.

He nodded, not seeming to feel words were necessary as he calmly surveyed their surroundings.

Mai couldn't see anything, but it was now cold enough for her breath to cloud in front of her. The hairs on her arms were standing at attention, and though she and Naru both seemed to be holding their breath in anticipation, Mai imagined she could hear the sound of a third person's breathing...

The walls seem to shift, expanding and contracting softly...like lungs.

Like this building itself was breathing.

Ok, yeah. That was pretty creepy.

Suddenly, she felt a gentle tug on her hair, a ghostly hand stroking the shoulder length locks.

Memories of her dream encounter with the Doctor flooded her mind and she froze, eyes widening as they shot to the senior ghost hunter.

She gestured carefully towards her hair, locking eyes with him meaningfully.

Creepy Ghost Doctor with hair fetish...

Fantastic.

"Mai, I want you to calmly start moving towards me.." Naru said, from his vantage point near the stairs. He leisurely reached his arm out to her, as if this was nothing more than an evening stroll and not an impromptu test of courage. Still, she could see the tension in his body language.

Whatever this ghost was, it certainly wasn't shy, which unfortunately for them probably indicated it was quite strong.

"Okay..." she agreed readily enough, fear pitching her voice higher, but she kept her movements slow and even; small, shuffling half steps as she eased towards Naru's outstretched hand.

Time to go downstairs, oh yes...

The ghostly grip on her hair tightened, pulling her head back uncomfortably.

"And... now I'm stopping." She said, slowly raising two fingers in case she needed to try the Nine Cuts. But where should she even aim? At this angle, she wasn't sure she could turn enough...

"Mai, I'm going to come to you." Naru said in the same calm voice, the one he'd used on her years ago, when they'd been cornered in the classroom by the curse that Teacher had placed on Naru.

"And...do what...exactly?" Mai asked, trying to maintain her own calm as best she could. The pressure on her hair hadn't increased, but neither had it let _go_.

She was used to being a spirit magnet, but she'd never encountered something quite like this. This spirit was bold. It didn't even seem to care that she wasn't alone. She could feel ghostly eyes perusing her...

"Like Lin said, it's testing us." Naru slowly sidled over to her, slowly raising his hands to grip her arms just above her elbows.

She was facing squarely into his chest now, and she could almost hear her teenage self squealing at the contact.

Awkward...

She wondered if Naru actually had a plan, or if he was just trying to put himself in the best position to deal with the inevitable shit that was probably about to hit the fan.

He took another small step into her, and suddenly they were chest to chest. His right hand tightened on her arm and his left came up slowly to cup the back of her head.

Holy shit, Naru was _holding_ her.

So much for maintaining distance. She knew the move was simply to protect her head and neck should the ghost decide to try anything nasty, like yank her backward suddenly. But there was no way for the move to not feel intimate, since she didn't exactly let the average guy this close.

Naru's hand was tangled in her hair as well, pulling back the strands back towards her head, relieving some of the pressure on her neck. She could turn her head now a little, but the way Naru had hunched his shoulders around her stopped her from being able to see anything regardless.

The way they were standing, her nose was practically buried in his jacket. He smelled surprisingly good. He'd grown taller too in the three years he'd been away.

Any could her thoughts be any more inappropriate right now?

"What are you feeling?" Naru asked, so close his breath fanned across the of her forehead.

"I wonder..." Mai muttered darkly, her words trapped between their bodies.

Ghost. Hand. In. Her. Hair...

"What are your instincts telling you?" He rephrased, voice rough with annoyance and she had to repress the mad giggle trying to work its way up her throat.

"Get serious..." He muttered, gripping her arm a little tighter, belying his own tension.

She growled at him silently before closing her eyes, careful to lightly tread the line between feeling and _falling_. It had taken her a long time to master her ability to feel things without succumbing to sleep and full-out astral projecting every time she simply wanted to sense her surroundings.

She did _not_ want to fall asleep right now.

 _ **Watching. Eyes watching.**_

 _ **Cold, clinical precision. Curiosity...**_

But it wasn't actually directed at her.

Her eyes opened a second later, flying to his. She had to tilt her head up to see him, and the stern expression on his face as he looked down at her hiked her anxiety up even further.

For all his apparent calmness, his eyes were hard. He looked a little pissed off.

Oddly enough, his anger helped to soothe her fear. Angry wasn't the same as worried and she'd much prefer to be angry than afraid right now.

"I'm bait..." She barely breathed the word, afraid to put any power into the syllables lest she induce the ghost to more mischief.

It felt like it was waiting for something...

Even the walls seemed to be holding their breath. Her heart pounded even faster.

"For me?" Naru confirmed, reading her expression somehow, his grip on her tightening even more.

Wordlessly she nodded as best she could under his grip, thinking back over the feeling of consuming curiosity she had felt, directed not at her, but past her.

At Naru.

"So he's figured out everyone but me." Naru murmured, and she could have sworn for a moment the narcissistic jerk actually looked pleased with himself.

Typical Naru.

Suddenly John's voice could be heard coming up the stairwell. Naru's shoulders blocked her line of sight, but he had evidently topped the staircase.

"Uh... am I interrupting something?" He asked, a hint of smile creeping into his voice, thickening his accent.

"Shut up, John" Mai and Naru hissed in near perfect unison.

She closed her eyes as a blush burned it's way across her cheeks. From John's vantage, it probably looked a lot like they were making out.

She couldn't wait to exorcise this stupid spirit.

"Mai?" John asked, finally picking up on their tension. "You okay there?" She heard him take a step closer.

"Mai, can you still do the warding Monk taught you back at Yasu's school?" Naru asked, looking back down at her.

She opened her mouth to reply, but before she could, the boys must have seen something behind her-

"Mai!" John yelled at the same time Naru commanded "Drop!"

She didn't have a chance to respond to either though, since Naru dropped for both of them, pulling her down so hard, she felt a yank as pain blossomed in the back of her head.

The damned ghost had pulled out some of her hair.

She was suddenly on her side on the floor, dust billowing in her face as Naru crouched over her. All she could see was his chest, close enough to her face to feel his body heat radiating on her cheek. She could feel the way he curled around her as he buried his face in the top of her head, the motion pushing her further under him. His arm was a steel band across her back, the other hand still tangled in her hair as he twisted to position her under his body.

There were several loud cracks, like bullets being fired. The hallway was momentarily silent, and then there was a chorus of groaning shrieks followed by the sound of broken glass raining down all around them.

The echoing silence lasted only a second as Bou-San's footsteps could be heard racing up the stairs.

"What happened, is everyone okay?" He yelled, skidding to a stop.

Mai had to wait a moment longer for Naru to shift away from before sitting up slowly, looking around with wide eyes.

Every upstairs window had simultaneously blown out.

Or rather, blown in. Glass sparkled in jagged

edged fragments all around them.

"I'm okay." John said, brushing himself off as he stood carefully. Shards of glass rained down in a staccato lullaby.

Mai looked over at her boss, her eyes widening.

"Naru, you're covered in broken glass." Mai said, reaching for his hair instinctively.

He caught her hand halfway, shaking his head a little. Standing, he walked a few feet away before leaning over to shake his hair our, much as John was doing down the hall.

"Mai, you're the one bleeding!" Bou-San said in concern as he crouched in front of her.

She could feel the trickle of blood running down her neck, but the pain was already fading. She shook her head. "The spirit had a grip on my hair. When Naru pulled me out of the way, some pulled out. That's all."

It had stung like a son of a gun, but she'd had worse. And somehow none of the glass had landed on her at all...

"Naru?" She said, standing to look him over a little better.

Sure enough, there were a few tiny cuts bleeding at his temple, but otherwise, his habit of wearing long sleeves even in the summer seemed to serve him well once again.

"It's nothing." Naru said brusquely as Bou-San gently started herding her and John down the stairs. "Have Ayako look at your head."

With that he moved quickly past them towards base.

"Bou-San, you and Ayako get ready to do the exorcisms. The Spirit is clearly escalating."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Mai watched the monitors closely, leaning over John's shoulders since she still wasn't that comfortable with Lin. They had made progress, the year they had worked together. At least, she had thought they had. But Lin was hard to read at the best of times and once again she found herself intimidated by the tall, silent Chinese man.

Naru, of course, had no such problems, leaning so close to Lin's face his shirt nearly ruffled the man's long bangs.

"Masako, does it appear to be working?" Naru asked over his shoulder without bothering to actually face the medium.

From outside, they could he Ayako doing her own incantations. She had called the trees here "weak" and "twisted", surprising since they were so far in the country, but had agreed to try the cleansing none the less.

"Several spirits have left or are leaving". Masako agreed quietly.

Standing in the weak afternoon sunlight, she looked almost like an apparition herself in her tidy gray slacks and white blouse. While she might have forsworn her more traditional garb, she hadn't started dressing as casually as Mei did the majority of the time.

Suddenly, on screen Bou-San stumbled, going down to one knee, while outside, a strangled yelp could be heard.

"Ayako!" Mai cried, already running out the door, John hot on her heels. Behind her, she could hear Naru and Lin running to Bou-San.

They found the Miko laying sprawled in the clearing, face pale and waxy looking, her normally neat hair in disarray.

"Ayako, what happened?" Mai cried and she and John helped the swaying priestess to a sitting position.

"I...I don't know". Ayako mumbled distractedly. "I've had exorcisms fail before, but that wasn't what was happening. The trees were working. I sensed at least six spirits come forth and be cleansed. But then, all of a sudden I heard this echo, it sounded like one of that stupid monk's chants. It became hard to breathe and I lost my connection with the trees. Then everything went dark."

"Just hold still" John murmured, discreetly taking Ayako's pulse. He nodded reassuringly at Mai, apparently satisfied with the results, and she relaxed a fraction.

"Ayako!" Bou-San called suddenly, half stumbling down the hospital steps, a bewildered Masako and stoic Naru trailing behind. He too looked like he'd just fallen down a flight of stairs.

"I'm fine..." Ayako mumbled again, turning away from him. "What are you doing out here? Weren't you supposed to be exercising this place?"

Bou-San pulled up short, arm dropping dejectedly from where he had been reaching for the self styled shrine maiden.

"I was worried about you." He said softly.

"What exactly happened to interrupt your ceremony?" Naru asked, eyes narrowed.

Turning away from Ayako to face their boss, Bou-San closed his eyes in thought.

"Everything was normal, at first. The spirits weren't even pushing back. They mostly seemed like they WANTED to move on. But then it got weird. I could feel a breeze in the room, but it wasn't coming from the window. I could hear the sounds of trees rustling, and bells. The noises got louder and louder, and then suddenly it felt like my spirit was being pulled from my body!"

Mai stared at the two of them aghast, then turned to Naru, actually hoping for once that she was totally wrong.

"Were they..." Mai trailed off, unwilling to even finish the sentence.

"Yes. It appears the spirit somehow managed to turn Bou-San and Ayako's exercises against each other." Naru said grimly.

"Well, fuck." Masako said primly.

Mai agreed silently, staring up at the looming building behind them.

Once again, their team had become another one of the Doctor's "experiments".

"We need to hear what Yasu has found." Naru said, standing up.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/n: Not my sandbox. Thanks for the reviews! Reviews are like tea...**

 **Where The Light Enters**

Chapter Four: Hijinx & Harassment

 _"I have learned that people can stay, leave, save, or destroy you; but by far, the most dangerous thing they can ever do is come back."_ **\- Beau Taplin**

They spent the rest of the afternoon moving their gear around. Naru had ordered them to move their campsite another twenty yards out from the hospital, in case the ghost's range was longer than they had originally anticipated.

Even Lin was tired enough to take a short nap in the van by this point, so Mai and Bou-San watched the monitors for a while.

Ayako had made several protective charms for the base that had so far seemed to do the trick, though Lin had mentioned that it had seemed like someone had been "toying" with his Shiki the last few hours.

Any ghost brave enough to "toy" with Lin was enough to freak Mai out, but she forced herself to stay in her seat.

All over the hospital, things seemed calm. Staring at the monitors was starting to make her sleepy, however...

 _It had started out as a game, at first. At Madoka's suggestion._

 _Mai was a "Retro-Cognitive Medium", able to dream visions of the past of the location she was currently at, or of the spirits whose wavelengths she was currently interacting with._

 _When Mai was in her Astral Form, she was also able to see things happening currently on the Astral Plain, such as the Womb Cycling at the Cursed House all those years ago._

 _The game was meant to help sharpen her "Animal Instincts", as Naru had dubbed them._

 _The ability to sense trouble, danger or even the intentions of those around her._

 _Her own intentions and emotions often overshadowed them, which was part of the reason_ _she was always getting herself into trouble, according to Masako. She'd gotten into the habit long ago of doing what was expected, rather than follow her instincts_.

 _The Game was simple. Could she guess what drink the person who had just walked into the door of the Tea Shop would order? Green Tea? Milk Tea? Coffee?_

 _It turned out that yes, she could. Quite well in fact. Sometimes before the person had even come in the door_.

 _Eventually, the shop's regulars had started joking about the waitress being "Psychic", which Mai had laughed off. The Game was meant to help her control her own abilities so they no longer overshadowed her life._

 _Ghost hunting was behind her, for the most part._

 _Until that night six weeks ago, only a little before closing time. She'd been doing one final wipe down of the counter when her hands had started shaking, just a little._

 _Not fear, really._

 _Anticipation_.

 _Reaching under the counter for the seldom used box of Earl Gray Tea, she placed the box on the counter with painful precision._

 _Deep breath._

 _Poured the hot water._

 _Watched it steep._

 _Just breathe._

 _The bell over the door jingled softly as the dark haired boy (man, now, she supposed) made his way calmly to the counter. His face was nonchalant. His gate was unhurried._

 _As if they hadn't parted on the awkwardest of terms._

 _As if he hadn't left three years ago and never looked back._

 _Hadn't accused her of being in love with his dead twin brother._

 _Hadn't walked away from their makeshift family without so much as a pause._

 _She should be furious, she knew. Should hate him, with his stupid, smirking, know-it-all attitude._

 _Damn Narcissist._

 _But Mai had been forced to confront herself, flaws and all, in order to learn to control her powers, and she had come to accept some universal truths about herself over the last three years._

 _One of them being, she was really bad at hating people, even when they deserved it. She didn't have enough people left that she loved to give any of them up to hate, even if they didn't love her back._

 _But that didn't mean she was willing to welcome him back with open arms either._

 _So she just looked at him a little tiredly, and asked "What do you want, N-Naru?"_

 _Even his name seemed like a trick question, and she stumbled over it._

 _Should she really still be talking to him so familiarly? Especially knowing how similar her Japanese nick name had been to Gene's English one for him?_

 _But what then? Davis-San? Shibuya-San? Davis-Sensei?_

 _He seemed to understand her dilemma._

" _Naru's fine." He said dismissively, as if it was nothing to him one way or the other and she suddenly wanted to throw the steaming cup of tea in his expressionless face, but she forced herself to calmly (oh-so-calmly) push the cup across to him._

 _"Just this once." She warned him._

 _Stupid tea addict..._

 _He quirked a brow at her, but said nothing for a moment, inhaling the tea's gentle fragrance._

 _"I want to put the SPR team back together. It seems I need your assistance."_

 _Like He was ordering ramen, or commenting on the weather._

 _She mulled over his words. He needed her help?_

" _I take it I'm the last one you contacted, then." She murmured, taking a sip of her own green tea. It stung, more than a little, if she was being honest with herself._

 _Last place again. But it did mean she'd been an afterthought? Or had he been so sure she'd run back that he hadn't considered needing to put any effort in to wooing her?_

 _His lips tightened for a moment. "I'm having more trouble than I anticipated." He acknowledged finally._

 _She merely raised a brow at him, and after a momentary stare down, he elaborated, somewhat reluctantly._

" _Masako's manager says she hasn't worked in months. I've left three messages at Ayako's hospital that have never been returned. I can't locate Father Brown at all. Monk said he'd have to think about it. Yasu just said he'd come back if you did_."

 _At that last part, he shot her a searching "Care to fill me in?"_

 _"Not really." Mai replied, taking another sip of her tea._

 _She sighed, rubbing her forehead._

 _Kami, did she want this? She didn't even want to have this conversation with him. Could she handle ghost hunting again? Could the others?_

 _"Look, Naru. A lot has happened. We're not the same people we were three years ago." She glanced up at him, taking in the minute changes in his own appearance._

 _Same stoic expression, same black clothing. Same aura of cold control._

 _But there were subtle differences. He'd lost the last littl_ e _bit of childish roundness, his features just a tiny bit sharper and sleeker. His chin was a little squarer. His shoulders were broader, and she guessed he'd gained another inch or two. No client would mistake the man in front of her for a child, regardless of his age now_.

 _Young, perhaps. But no longer a child by any measure._

 _But neither was she. And she didn't bother lying to herself anymore._

 _"I want to do it." She admitted lowly. "I loved working for SPR. It was like a family for me."_

 _She looked away, unable to meet his gaze as she said the next part. "But after you left, things broke down. But then we figured out how to be a family without SPR holding us together. So while I'd love to take up ghost hunting WITH you again"_

 _(she made sure to stress the WITH part, instead of "FOR")_

" _You need to understand that none of us_ _ **need**_ _this anymore. We're not children. We would be your team, but that means treating us like team mates. No one was ever upset about you being in charge Naru. But we aren't interested in being your chess pieces. We don't want to be pawns in whatever game your playing this time_."

 _He studied her intently. "Is that how you all feel?"_

 _She shrugged. "It's how I feel. And since I'm apparently the only one willing to speak to you this time, I guess that makes it the party line."_

" _How long-..." she cut herself off, not sure she really wanted the answer to that question. It felt like asking him how long he was going to stick around this time would be akin to giving him some power over her_.

 _"I need to think about it. How can I reach you?" She said, walking away from the counter to the table in the far corner of the shop. How had she missed clearing that last table?_

" _I'll leave my number". Naru replied from behind her, laying a card on the table._

 _Mai wasn't listening though, instead she stared down at the white mug in her hands._

 _It was cold._

 _Ice cold._

" _This isn't right." She whispered._

 _Suddenly, there was a banging on the locked door-_

"Wake up, Jou-Chan..."

Monk was shaking her shoulders gently.

Mai blinked, looking around at the base.

'I'm being haunted' She thought ironically.

Standing she stretched and moved out of the way as Lin took his seat back.

Heading out the door with Bou-San at her side, they paused on the porch.

"Yasu should be back any time now". Bou-San said.

Mai nodded, but her mind was still on her dream.

Memory, actually.

"Monk, did I do the right thing, helping Naru put the team back together?" She asked, turning to the man who was like her older brother.

He smiled at her. "A little late to be getting cold feet, now, isn't it?"

She shook her head. "I'm not talking about the spirit. I'm talking about us. The team. Masako's still dealing with what happened last year. John's barely talking at all. You and Ayako..." She trailed off, fighting back tears for a moment. "Did we make a mistake?"

Bou-San smiled at her sadly. "We can't be afraid to live. That why you told me, right? When things between me and Ayako were at their worst. You said we couldn't be afraid to keep on living."

He stared out into the sunlight. "Whether or not this is a mistake, it won't be your fault, Mai. You might have started the ball rolling, but in the end, we all chose this."

Mai smiled shakily at him. "I hope you're right."

 _It had been two days since Naru had come to see her. His card in her pocket felt like it weighed a million pounds, but she couldn't bear to throw it out._

 _The shop wasn't nearly busy enough to keep her full attention, and over and over again she found herself circling back around to the same questions._

 _She missed ghost hunting. Missing spending so much time with her family._

 _But the others had doubts, for good reason..._

 _She stopped, cocking her head._

' _Chamomile..." she turned, reaching up to the top shelf where they stored the herbal blends._

 _They didn't have a lot of requests for chamomile this time of year._

 _The bell rang as the lone customer came in, and Mai nearly dropped the cup she was holding._

 _Luella Martin must have been nearing fifty, but she didn't look a day over forty._

 _She was just as beautiful and put together as the first time Mai had seen her, when she and her husband Martin had come to take Gene's remains home._

" _D-Davis Sensei" She stuttered, bowing quickly_.

 _Bright, shrewd eyes studied her._

 _"Luella, please. And if I might call you Mai?"_

 _She had nodded numbly._

 _Luella smiled kindly, but Mai had the sense that this woman was not to be underestimated. There was a tigress lurking in this woman's eyes, Mai could feel its gaze on her._

 _"Have you had time to consider Oliver's offer?" Luella asked._

 _Mai frowned. "Are you and your husband planning on working here in Tokyo also?"_

 _Luella laughed. "Goodness no. Oliver doesn't even know I'm in the country."_

 _"Oh." Mai said, feeling as stupid as she was sure she sounded. "How can I help you, then?"_

 _"I wanted to know what it would take to induce you and the rest of Oliver's old team to come back." Luella said, not wasting time_.

 _Mai opened her mouth._

 _Closed it._

 _Opened it again and asked "I'm sorry, but I would have thought you'd have wanted Naru to stay in England?"_

 _Too late, she realized she had pretty much called her ex-boss a Narcissist in front of his Mother._

 _Luella sighed, looking down at her tea. "I'll admit, I was thrilled to finally have him home again. Losing Gene was the hardest thing I've ever experienced, and all I wanted was to have the rest of my family near. It wasn't until later that I realized that it might not have been the choice that made Oliver happiest."_

" _Happiest?" Mai asked, scrunching her brow. She'd seen some incredulous things while working for Naru. But she'd never seen anything from him she would have called "happiness"._

 _Did the guy even do "happy"?_

 _Luella smiled sadly. "I know. Oliver happy looks a rather lot like Oliver bored, or Oliver with a stomach ache. But a mother can tell these things, even if it took me a while. At first I thought it was just the loss of his brother weighing him down. But the truth is, he's restless. He has been since he came back from Japan three years ago. I thought his search was over then, but it seems I was mistaken. Whatever it is that he needs, he still seems to be searching for it. "_

Mai looked down at her own cup. "And he thinks he'll find it here in Japan?"

 _Despite itself, a secret thrill shot down her at Luella's words. But immediately she quashed it. That way lead to heartbreak._

 _Luella shrugged, raising her hands helplessly. "I honestly don't know. But at least he's trying, which is better than just treading water the way he has been these last few years."_

 _Mai stirred her tea, trying to marshal her thoughts._

 _"I wish I could help. I really do". She said finally._

 _"Why can't you?" Luella asked. "From what I heard from Madoka, you and the others enjoyed Ghost Hunting_."

 _Mai nodded. "I did. A great deal. But then Naru left and I had to go back to the real world. And it took me a long time to come to terms with it. The others have had to go through tough times of their own. And who is to say Naru won't change his mind again in a year, or six months even. Three of us are in college. Ayako's a Doctor. Bou-San travels more than ever for gigs. Ghost hunting is a huge time commitment. And we don't have the independent resources Naru has."_

 _Mai gestured around. "This place may not look like much, but I've supported myself for three years working here. Plus I have school. I'd be giving up a lot of hard earned security for what might be nothing more than one of Naru's whims_."

 _There was more to it, much more of course. But while the other risks were emotional, she simply couldn't ignore the logistics involved with taking a job that might not involve steady work._

 _Luella nodded thoughtfully. "Madoka mentioned you were an orphan. It's quite admirable the way you managed to put yourself through school."_

 _Mai smiled crookedly. "I owe Naru a lot. The job he gave me back then paid way more than I could have made anywhere else. I managed a lot better than I would have otherwise. But after a year that job was gone, and I had to figure something else out. I'm not mad or bitter or anything. It's just..."_

" _Hard." Luella finished for her._

 _Mai nodded. "It is. It's hard. I really loved my job and my co-workers. I don't regret a moment. But Naru spent the entire time lying to us. In the end, the rug was pulled out from under us."_

 _"I understand better now." Luella said thoughtfully. "Oliver is reopening the SPR Branch here in Tokyo with our full support, of course. But you are right. There is no way for you to feel secure based on how he treated you previously. What if...what if I gave you my word that if Oliver were to decide to leave Japan any time in, say, the next three years, I will personally select a new manager to replace him. No matter what, SPR will remain open for the next three years. That's three years of steady employment for yourself and any of your co-workers who choose to come back. On the condition that you never mention this conversation to Oliver, of course."_

 _Mai arched a brow at her, mulling over her words. It wasn't that it was just about the money. But she was an adult now, and she needed to be making adult choices. And the fact that Luella didn't want her to mention this conversation to Naru made her wonder if Luella didn't know much more than she was letting on_.

 _"I'll have to talk to the others." She said finally._

 _Luella smiled then, surprising Mai by leaning over the counter to give Mai a hug._

 _"Do whatever your instincts tell you is best." She said._

 _Mai stared out the window for a long moment after Luella left._

 _What was best?_

 _What would make her happiest? What Luella had said about Naru treading water these past few years struck a chord in her._

 _Some days she felt that way too, no matter how busy or full her days._

 _Ghost hunting with Naru had made her feel alive_.

 _Opening her cell phone, she pulled out the card Naru had left with her. It was late, she'd expected it to go to voice mail, or perhaps even to Lin. But it was Naru himself who answered, his voice drifting across the line as she started towards the table in the far back of the shop._

 _She must have forgotten to clear it earlier..._

 _"Shibuya." He answered, his voice giving away nothing._

 _"I know how to find John." She said, picking up the ceramic mug from the table, the scent of blood wafting to her nose..._

Mai opened her eyes with a quiet gasp, staring at the fading starlight above her _._

"All good there, Mai?" John asked quietly from across the dying campfire.

"I'm fine." She whispered, sitting up. Bou-San, Ayako and Yasu were still asleep.

Naru and Lin were again missing, probably inside base. Masako was also gone from her sleeping bag.

Slipping on her boots, she once again trudged quietly over to the clearing Masako had chosen for her morning practice.

Her friend was really beautiful, she thought ruefully, watching her practice.

Even in civilian clothes, the ever present shadows under her eyes, Masako was someone who people would admire.

Mai had long since given up hope of ever being sophisticated and sexy, like Ayako, or classically beautiful like Masako. With her jeans and hoodies, messy buns and falling out braids, she was simply plain Mai Taniyama. Sure, she'd had her share of dates, even a boyfriend or two. But she would never be that girl in the movie the hero couldn't take her eyes off of.

She chuckled quietly at her mental pity party.

"I can't take my eyes off you for a second or you disappear." A censure-laden voice stated lowly from behind her and she jumped, twisting behind her to look up at her boss.

"Just enjoying the morning" She shrugged as Naru came to stand beside her. "You know, before Doctor Dreadful decides to once again grace us with his presence".

The night before, Yasu had filled them in on everything he had been able to learn about the old hospital. Since they weren't able to access old military records, he'd been forced to hit the streets, talking to older locals.

Apparently, this hospital had been known as a place where people _didn't_ come to get better.

" _You mean hospice care?" Ayako had asked, eyes narrowing._

 _"Yasu nodded. "You could say that. A lot of soldiers without family or much money ended up recuperating here. But apparently many of them never got better, if you catch my drift."_

 _"People no one would miss..." John had said musingly.._

 _"And people crippled by their injuries, or suffering from Battle Fatigue". Yasu added._

 _"You mean PTSD?" Naru added. "Shell Shock?"_

" _That many traumatized people dying here could certainly explain the number of spirits we exercised yesterday..." Masako had murmured thoughtfully._

" _Apparently, the head Doctor, Dr. Shiro, was a supposed specialist in PTSD. An early pioneer in mental health. Except his patients never really seemed to get better. Lots of suicides and accidental deaths. The bodies were usually cremated, which is why they moved on so easy during the exorcisms. No physical remains left to tie them here." Yasu finished, looking up from his notes._

 _"He was studying trauma patients." Ayako said, tapping her foot, deep in thought._

 _"Trauma like that would be an excellent trigger for latent PK and other abilities." Naru replied._

" _He was looking for poltergeists, you mean?" Mai asked, remembering one of the first rules she had learned as a ghost hunter._

 _Over half of all poltergeist phenomena was caused by living, breathing humans._

 _Naru nodded, a glint of excitement in his eyes. "Back then, people wouldn't have gone to a Doctor for things like poltergeist activity. They would have been too ashamed, afraid of being driven out of their homes and communities. Children with special abilities were shipped off and never spoken of again. But an unlimited supply of shell-shocked soldiers would almost certainly have panned out at least a few latent psychics flaring up."_

" _He made sure of it." Masako whispered, eyes gone wide, pupils blown. Her voice took on a husky whisper. "He did things to them. Awful things, to make their abilities act up. All in the name of science." She shuddered, eyes coming back into focus_.

" _So, all we have to do is exercise a spirit who specializes in turning other people's abilities back on them". John said with quiet derision. "Should be loads of fun."_

"Mai!" Naru's impatient voice shook Mai from her reverie.

"I'm not making you tea." She muttered defiantly, standing up and brushing off the seat of her jeans.

Naru sighed. "I asked if you thought this case would be too difficult for Masako, considering her recent experiences."

Mai frowned for a moment. She'd honestly worried about the same thing herself, but the more she thought about it, the more sure she became that sending Masako home would be the wrong thing to do. It would be like saying they no longer counted on her.

"I believe in her." She said finally, figuring Naru didn't actually care for her reasons.

He said nothing as they continued back towards camp.

'Do you still communicate with Gene?' The question hung, unspoken on her lips, nearly slipping through before she forced the words back down ruthlessly.

As much as she wanted to ask, an even bigger part of her didn't want to know.

So instead she said "I had a dream last night."

He stopped, turning to face her fully. "About the Doctor?"

She shook her head uneasily. "The creep did it to me again, Naru. Normally, by this time on a case I should be dreaming the Spirit's memories. Instead, I'm dreaming my own memories while he watches like they're home videos..." she trailed off, shuddering.

It was a distressing invasion of not just her memories, but her mind. It gave her a new appreciation for how Masako must have felt when she was being stalked by the city coroner.

"It's posing a problem." Naru agreed, no clue to his own feelings on his face. "What memories was he watching?"

A part of her wanted to tell him it was none of his damn business, but unfortunately, it kind of was.

"The day you came to see me at the Tea Shop", she said finally. "I think you're the one he's really interested in." It was close enough to the truth, since she had had that dream, just yesterday afternoon, instead of last night.

"It's always memories centering on you. He must be able to sense your PK. I think he's trying to figure out how to get you to use it so he can study you next."


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Okay, I'm going to make a big push in this chapter. Might be able to finish up the case. I'm trying a new writing technique where instead of planning the story to death, exhausting myself before I even begin, I'm just going to write the darn thing. It's leading to a more casual writing style on my part. After I tie up this case I'm planning on doing some minor chapter edits to fix some typos and small continuity errors. Also, I'm not sure how fleshed out my characters are. It's surprisingly difficult to juggle this many people.**

 **So, I've read lots of amazing fics where Mai falls apart after Naru leaves. But I didn't see a lot where she not only holds her shit together, but she holds everyone else together too, and I really wanted to explore that idea. While Naru is brilliant and capable, I believe Mai was ultimately the factor that allowed the SPR group to truly come together. She humanizes Naru, and I believe even he recognizes that fact. So I decided to break the other characters instead, to see if Mai and Naru can work together to fix their family.**

 **FFNEt keeps misplacing some of my formatting, So is you see a string of 1-1-1-1-1- like that, I'm using it to designate line breaks. I was using asterisks but they keep disappearing.**

 **As always- Not My Sandbox**

 **Where The Light Enters**  
Chapter Five: Hijacked Hijinx

 _"Start with the part where Jayne gets knocked out by a ninety-pound girl, 'cause I don't think that's ever gettin' old..."_ **Hoban Washburn (Firefly)**

Naru ultimately decided that now that they knew the Spirit's name, Lin would attempt the exorcism. Mai could tell that it bothered both Ayako and Bou-San that they had failed, but she tried her best to console them that in reality, their own ceremonies hadn't failed at all.

They'd just been... highjacked.

Naru had originally wanted everyone but him and the silent Onmyoji to wait outside, but the group had immediately burst into protest. John and Yasu had pointed out that someone needed to monitor the equipment. Bou-San and Ayako has argued that they were the only ones able to provide back up if Lin encountered trouble. Masako had asked who was going to keep watch and report if the ceremony had actually worked.

Mai had simply pointed out that she could use the Nine Cuts to protect herself and the group.

Plus, she really, really wanted to see Lin do his thing.

With only the slight ticking of the vein under his right eye to show his displeasure, Naru had finally acquiesced.

And so they began their preparations.

Mai had had to force herself to bite her lip every step of the way, desperate to pepper the silent man with questions. Every Japanese person had heard stories of Onmyodo, of course. It was built into their country's history, after all. But seeing it in action was something else all together.

She watched bright-eyed as Lin drew sheet after sheet of complicated talismans. They looked nothing like the wards she and the others were wearing that Ayako had made for them.

She recognized that some of the writing must be Sanskrit, though she couldn't read it. She reasoned that some of the characters must represent the Doctor's name and date of death, since Yasu had been able to find out that much, at least, from the public records. But the rest was a mystery to her.

She and Masako silently helped set up the candles and altar under Naru's direction on the top floor hallway, carefully walking around the piles of broken glass. None of the rooms were deemed sound enough to handle the ceremony, so they would once again try the hall.

"How will we know he isn't going to try and turn the exorcism back against us again?" John had asked, wiping his face, leaving a smudge of dirt on his pale cheek.

Masako has glided closer to Mai, taking her hand again. She'd been distressingly quiet this whole case. Mai worried her lip, hoping her response to Naru's earlier question had been correct. She'd never forgive herself if Masako came out of this more damaged than she went in.

"Are you okay?" She whispered to the younger girl.

Masako smiled grimly. "This is nothing like Tokyo. I'm fine. I was a professional, after all."

Lin straightened from the altar where he had been placing some last minute finishing touches. "The talismans and wards all state his name. Therefore, it should be impossible for him to redirect any of the Dharmic power back upon us."

 _Should_...Mai felt a shiver of unease, stepping closer to Masako protectively. She could see Naru watching her out of the corner of her eye.

"Let's do this and get out of this place." Yasu said finally, pushing his glasses up his nose. His face, too, was covered in sweat and dust.

It was warm on the upper floors, yet Mai still felt cold.

"Step back." Lin commanded, his voice taking on the echoing cadence she remembered from the few times before that she had seen him use his power.

Masako's grip on Mai tightened. Mai raised two fingers in preparation, as did Ayako. Bou-San's fingers were ready in a warding position. He had changed into his robes just in case, as had Ayako. She wondered if John missed his own robes at times like these, but his face was neutral as he stared at the Onmyoji intently.

Lin started chanting, the words Chinese by her guess. The foreign language was harsh on her ears.

Immediately the temperature plummeted. All around then, boards groaned and shrieked in protest. Dust drifted down from the timbers above.

"Everyone be careful!" Naru called the warning, unnecessary as it was. There could be no doubt that the Doctor's Spirit was resisting-

Suddenly, beside her, Masako let out a keening wail that quickly morphed into maniacal laughter. The grip on Mai's hand tightened painfully, and she let out a surprised yell of her own. Looking over at her friend, she recoiled.

Or tried to, anyway. Masako's grip on her hand was like cold steel, and her eyes had both gone pitch black.

She was possessed.

"Masako!" Mai screamed, attempting to wrench her hand free, but it was no use. The Spirit-infused young girl was too strong for her.

Lin had stopped his chanting, and Mai found herself suddenly in the center of a rough semi-circle of her teammates, their faces grim and disbelieving by turns.

"He's using Masako's body to hide from Lin." John cried.

"Let Mai go!" Naru demanded, voice full of authority.

Not-Masako only laughed. "Why would I do that just when things are getting so interesting?"

Her voice was lower than normal, the cadence of her words sounding awkward and unfamiliar.

"The minute I let this woman go, you'll only try to turn your exorcism against me again."

The already bruising grip on Mai's grip tightened, and she fell to her knees, locking her jaw to keep from crying out. The pain washed over her, but she couldn't break the spirit's grip on her wrist. She couldn't use the Nine Cuts against Masako, she was too strong now. She might do her true harm.

Bou-San and Ayako were in the same boat. She could sense Lin's shiki dancing around the two of them, sparking like static electricity as they encountered the Spirit's aura, but Masako only laughed louder.

Turning to Nara, she said speculatively "I sense a great deal of power in you, boy. Yet no matter what I've tried, you've refused to use it. Can it be that you can't, in fact use it? Is your own power too much for you, perhaps?"

The temperature in the room dropped even more, chills racking up and down Mai's spine, but she was afraid Naru was the culprit this time, not Shiro.

"Don't do it, Naru..." Lin said warningly.

"I'd only be giving him what he wants." Naru agreed, almost snarling at the possessed woman. "I won't say it again. Let. **Mai**. **Go**."

"If you want her, come and get her." The spirit grinned wickedly, the expression an obscene caricature of Masako's normally beautiful face. "If you can..."

With her free hand, she reached for Mai's forehead, placing her burning cold hand on Mai's face.

The rest faded to black.

 _Mai whirled around in a circle, studying the shadows and darkened corners of the Tea Shop._

 _HER Tea Shop, damn it!_

 _She was fed up with the spirit thinking he could have his way with them, toying with the members of her family however he pleased._

 _"Don't worry, woman. I'm bored with you. I have seen your like before. You need merely wait here for the other one to come after you." The voice echoed, laughter hidden among the disjointed syllables_

 _He was still after Naru. Then his other words sank in and her mouth dropped open in shock._

 _Bored with her?_ _ **BORED**_?!

 _She was many things, but she was sure even Naru, the king of all Narcissists would say she wasn't BORING._

 _Useless, stupid, common even._

 _But never boring. Mai snarled silently. She'd show this jerk. He might be 'through with her', but she was far from through with him._

 _She stalked over to the counter, rounding it with quick, angry steps. This Tea Shop was a painstakingly detailed replica of the real thing, a long labour of sweat and effort that had taken her months to perfect. It was duplicated down to the tiniest, most mundane detail, which meant that-_

 _Yes_.

 _There it was._

 _She'd certainly never had cause to use it in her astral form, but the Louisville Slugger was there nonetheless. She grabbed the bat from its resting place beneath the counter. It had been a graduation gift of sorts from Yasu, who had played baseball in high school but decided not to in college._

 _"Choke up." He'd told her the first time she'd picked it up, adjusting her grip. "There you go. Now you're ready to beat the crap out of any late night customers who give you trouble."_

 _She could only assume this counted as a correct use of the gift._

 _"You would damage your own astral plane?" The Doctor's voice drifted to her, surprise evident in his voice._

She shrugged, taking aim for the shelves of tea cups behind her.

" _Well, I'd hate to be boring."_

 _Swinging with all her might and not a little pent up frustration, she smashed into the shelf, porcelain shards flying everywhere_.

 _"I built it once. I can rebuild it again. But let's see you hold me prisoner here and possess Masako at the same time while I'm renovating this place!"_

 _She swung again, this time taking out two of the chairs. She made sure not to just swing with her arms, but with her INTENTIONS, imagining that each unfortunate object was in fact the despicable ghost keeping her locked in here._

 _This was actually kind of fun. No wonder ghosts were doing this kind of thing all the time._

 _"Play ball!" She yelled, aiming for the window._

She woke with a jerk, nearly knocking into Naru's forehead. She could see Yasu in the background. She looked around, they were back at base.

"Play ball?" Naru asked, pushing her back down into the floor, raising her wrist to take her pulse.

She flushed, realizing the spirit must have released her at the same time she'd called out those words in her astral form.

"Where's Masako?" She asked, fighting past Naru's hands to sit up successfully this time.

"Still upstairs." Naru said grimly.

"And still possessed." Yasu added, worry evident in his voice.

"What happened?" Mai said, turning to face Naru once more.

"Once you passed out, she let go of you. Apparently the Spirit was strong enough to pull out your spirit and hold it on the plain without touching you, because then it dropped you." Naru said, helping her to her feet.

She nodded. That would account for the headache.

"Then she backed away, and pulled out the pocket knife Masako carries." Yasu added, worry evident in his voice.

"She's currently holding it to her own neck, threatening to cut Masako if we try to restart the exorcism. It was using you two as hostages, trying to force me to use my PK." Naru finished, the cold chill in his voice giving evidence to his anger at the spirit.

"But you didn't, right ?" Mai asked in quick concern.

He shook his head in frustration. "My PK can do nothing to the spirit without harming Masako in the process. We brought you down here so I could try and use my psychometry to locate you on the Astral Plane, but before we could start, you woke up."

She grinned fiercely at them. "Let's just say this jerk isn't as strong as he likes to think. He wasn't able to hold me and Masako at the same time, not once I started wrecking the place."

"With a baseball?" Naru asked, and she could tell he was trying to decide if she was really okay after all.

"No." Yasu grinned suddenly. "With a baseball bat."

They grinned at each other.

Naru narrowed his eyes. "You attacked your own astral plain with your dharmic energy, forcing him to release you? You do realize how completely reckless and stupid that is? That place acts as your buffer. You're completely vulnerable without it."

"Well, it was that or stay a ghost hostage." Mai snapped back. "But now I know how we can beat him. Yasu, you're going to have to hypnotize me. I'm going back."

"Like hell." Naru said in a tight voice, and Yasu's jaw dropped, either at her suggestion or their normally calm boss's use of profanity, she wasn't sure which.

Yasu had learned to hypnotize people in order to help her learn to control her astral projection. Despite all their jokes to the contrary, she wasn't actually able to just fall asleep anytime it was convenient. Yasu had learned hypnotism to help put her in a trance, though in the last two years, he'd used it more as a party trick for their other friends then on her.

"I can help Masako!" She insisted, glaring at the indigo-eyed man in front of her.

"Mai, you just barely escaped the first time. We'd be giving him his second hostage back." Naru said dismissively, crossing his arms as he scowled at her.

"Well, it's a good thing I wasn't asking your permission then!"

She pushed him away, walking over to Yasu. "Yasu, we don't have much time. I know how Masako can kick him out, and then Lin can finish his exorcism."

Yasu wavered, looking between her and Naru.

"I said no." The command was back in Naru's voice, and she whirled back to face him.

"At some point, you're just going to have to trust in me, Naru."

She was mad at him, furious that he was trying to stop her, but she was also sad that after all this time, he couldn't see the changes in her.

"I can do this.." She pleaded, stepping closer and looking up into his face. "You asked me to help you. So let me help."

His jaw tightened, and then he sighed, closing his eyes briefly.

She held her breath.

"Yasu isn't going to hypnotize you." Her shoulders sagged. "But I will." Her head shot up again. "On one condition."

"Anything." She said, without hesitation.

"Give me your anchor." Naru said.

She cocked her head in confusion, aware of the precious seconds ticking by. They were running out of time...

"My key?..." She asked, drawing the cord she wore around her neck out of her blouse top. The key hung in the air between them, still warm from her body heat.

He nodded, closing his hand around it and placing the cord over his own neck. Somehow the simple action felt surprisingly...intimate. "Even without using my PK, I have strong power. I acted as Gene's anchor when we were younger. As long as I stay next to you, it should magnify the power of your own anchor."

"O-Kay.." She said, not really understanding but trusting him nonetheless. She was really out of options anyway.

"Lay down again" Naru commanded, and she quickly laid down on the floor. Naru knelt on one side of her, and Yasu knelt on the other, clasping her hand.

"Be careful." He pleaded, worry clear on his face. She squeezed his hand reassuringly.

"Look at me, Mai." Now that he was committed to his course of action, Naru's voice was once again calm, neutral. "I want you to breath slowly. Now, count with me... 1..2...3

" **Four**..." Mai whispered, blinking in shock.

Where was she?

The world was tilted sideways, or, at least the room she was in was. __

She could smell metal and blood. People were moaning all around her.. __

The hospital? __

No.

She recognized this place _._

She'd been here before. Blood covered her hands, warmth trickling down the side of her head. Somewhere an emergency light was flashing, an intermittent red glow punctuating the shadows.

"I'm back on the train.." She whispered, looking around wildly.

With her Tea Shop destroyed, she should have expected something like this. She could feel her chest tightening with fear…

The memory washed over her like the tide.

 _It was late, and Yasu was a little angry and more than a little bit drunk by the time she had managed to track him down at the frat party. She was exhausted from battling her own dreams and astral travels every night in her sleep. Even when she managed to spend the night in her own body, nightmares of the last few months haunted her sleep. She wished she could talk about them with someone, but honestly, none of her friends were in a position to help her slay her personal demons._

 _No matter how many times she woke up with the echoes of gunshots in her ears._

 _She missed Gene, and she missed Naru, that stupid, big headed narcissist._

 _But none of that mattered now, as she pushed her drunken friend off the platform and into the train. They'd barely made it on time for the last train back to Yasu's neighborhood. She'd have to crash at his place again._

 _Though it was late, it was a Saturday and the train compartment was nearly a third full. She'd sat Yasu down, afraid he'd fall over if left to his own devices. She'd stood in front of him, ring clenched in one hand as she steadied her friend with the other._

 _The wreck was sudden. One moment, nothing could be felt but the gentle sway of the car, the next, the world turned head over heels and she was airborne. People screamed all around her, but her own scream was locked in her throat. It was dark then, only the emergency lights chasing away the darkness. Each flash was like a moment frozen in time as she had looked around in confusion. Everywhere she looked, people were lying, splayed out at odd angles like toys left out by a careless child._

 _She could hear crying, as she stumbled to her feet. The compartments side was now the floor. Broken glass and twists of metal were everywhere._

 _And blood. The scent of blood._

" _Ya-Yasu!" She stumbled over the word, her mouth not quite in tune with her mind._

 _Had she hit her head?_

 _Everything hurt. Where was Yasu?_

 _Where was she?_

 _"Yasu!?" She called again, louder this time, but no response._

 _She started stumbling through the car, quickly ending back on her knees and she fell over something or someone._

 _She looked down, her breath rushing out of her in cold fear._

 _Yasu._

 _He was still, lying awkwardly on his side, seemingly asleep, nothing more._

 _But the growing puddle of blood to one side of him had Mai's eyes widening. It was too much, too fast._

 _Wherever he was hurt, he was bleeding out._

 _"Help!" She screamed, but no one was coming._

 _At least not fast enough. She'd have to do it herself. She knelt, looking at his legs._

 _There, a deep gash, near the top of his leg. She desperately tried to recall her anatomy class._

 _Wasn't there an important artery near there...?_

 _She plunged her hands down, trying to put pressure on the wound-_

 _And her hands went right through him._

 _The world froze as she realized..._

 _She was projecting again._

 _Was she dead? Or just thrown from her body?_

 _Where was her body?_

 _She looked up, eyes widening._

 _There. Just a little further. Another step and she would have been walking on herself._

 _But how to get back? She and Madoka had only been working together for a few weeks to control her projecting. She was getting better at not wandering so far from her body, but she'd never been successful at forcing herself back in as of yet._

 _And Yasu was running out of time._

 _Her breath was whistling in her narrowed throat. Yasu was going to bleed out right in front of her if she didn't do something RIGHT THEN_.

" _Breathe, Mai..." The voice was her own, but the words were his._

 _Naru's words, not Gene's, despite whatever he might have thought to the contrary._

 _In her head, in her heart. Whenever she was scared, whenever she needed to be brave..._

 _It had always been Naru._

 _"On the count of four, I will be back in my body..." she told herself firmly. This time it would work._

 _It had to._

 _1.2..3_...4

She blinked.

The train was gone.

The Tea Shop was gone.

Everywhere was nothing more than a glowing softness, glimmering lights sparkling in the distance.

Oh.

She remembered this place.

"Mai." The name was soft, the voice familiar and yet not.

"Gene." She replied, tasting the name for the first time out loud, lips trembling.

He hadn't changed. Would never change. He was a ghost, after all.

"It was me..." She whispered in realization. "I changed. I changed somehow, and that's why..."

"No matter what I tried, I couldn't get through to you anymore." He said with a sad smile.

"I missed you..." She mumbled, tearing up despite herself.

This is what Naru had done, when he'd insisted upon being her anchor.

He'd somehow turned himself into a bridge between her and his brother.

Even after her disastrous confession. Even though he thought it was Gene she had been in love with.

He smiled wider. "I like it. Hearing you say my name and not Noll's"

She shook her head. "You're impossible."

"Yeah. I've been told that before. Usually by my idiot scientist of a brother. Speaking of which, don't you have somewhere you need to be?"

"Masako?" She realized, finally remembering her original purpose in coming to the Astral Plane.

She'd gotten caught up in the memories, overcome without her Tea Shop to act as a buffer.

That was why Naru had sent Gene to her.

To protect her.

"She's okay, for now. Scared, but okay. But we need to hurry. Naru won't let you stay here for long. He worries too much."

Gene clasped her hand, and the dream changed again.

"You make it look so easy..." she murmured as they landed somewhere new.

"Perks of being dead, I'm afraid." He said, gesturing to the door. "This is no longer your plain, Mai. We've entered Masako's wavelength. Do you recognize this place?"

Mai nodded, looking around in anger.

The bastard had dragged Masako's spirit to the one place that scared her more than anywhere else.

The Tokyo City Morgue.

She let go of Gene's hand.

"I can take it from here." She said, wondering if this time really was the last time she would ever see him.

"I know you can."

She looked around the room, quickly focusing on the two people at the far end. Masako was backed in the corner, arms held up defensively as she attempted to ward off the spirit of Dr. Shiro.

Mai took a breath, praying her plan worked.

She raised two fingers, aiming at the Doctor, quickly calling out the Nine Cuts. The spirit jumped back, crisscrossing wounds appearing on his side, as he settled a few feet from Masako.

Masako was staring at disbelief at her. "M-Mai?"

"Hey, Palm-Top Tiger. Don't you think it's time you kicked this jerk out of your own body?" Mai hollered, purposefully using the nickname their instructor at the Dojo had bestowed upon the petite girl.

Mai knew the Manga reference drove the girl nuts.

As she had hoped, irritation danced across Masako's features before she huffed, drawing up to her full height.

"Well. Now that your here I suppose I shall have to show what I can actually do." She sniffed, tossing her hair over her shoulders.

"All talk, no action!" Mai cried, imitating Yasu this time.

Masako smiled. "Very well."

She took a deep breath, and then launched herself at the spirit.

Mai watched, ready to assist if needed, but she knew in her heart that Masako hadn't needed her help.

She had just needed to be reminded that she didn't need it. She had become stronger all on her own.

1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1

Mai watched tiredly as Yasu and John loaded the last of the boxes in the van. An exhausted Masako was already on her way back to the city with Ayako and Bou-San.

Once Masako had managed to eject the stunned Doctor's Spirit from her body, Lin's exorcism had made quick work of him.

She looked up as Naru came to stand beside her.

"You look tired." She commented wryly.

He raised a brow. "Technically, I'm the only one who didn't do anything."

She snorted. "Sorry, but I know better..."

There was a moment of silence before she said "Thank you."

"For what?" He asked mildly, walking down the steps.

She didn't bother answering, since she knew he already knew what she meant.

She fell asleep somehow, on the ride back.

Even though sitting between Naru and Lin in the van should have been the last place in the world she could have fallen asleep, she somehow managed it. She was probably drooling on Naru's shoulder...

 _The Tea Shop was a wreck._

 _Perhaps she had gone overboard earlier..._

 _"Quite a renovation project you have going on here..." The voice remarked casually from the doorway._

 _She looked over at him with a smile._

 _She hadn't dared to hope she'd see him again._

 _He stood, straightening. Unlike herself, he hadn't changed. Would never change._

 _He'd forever be seventeen. Always be that gentle smile in the darkness._

 _"Care for some help?" He asked._

 _"Always." She said with a smile. He would never change, but she could. She could be strong enough to hold onto the past and the future at the same time._


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Thanks for all the reviews so far! Reviews are love. Let's see... who do we need to torture-uh..., I mean which character do we need to encourage emotional growth in this time?**

 **How about... John.**

 **That should do nicely.**

 **As always, Not My Sandbox!**

 **On a side note, if you're Catholic and I get something wrong, please forgive me. The anime took a lot of liberties with the whole 19 year old Priest who always wore street clothes and went on dates thing. I figured my story will probably follow the same vein. Nothing in this particular case is meant to be an accurate description of the religion.**

 **-RavensGame**

 **Where The Light Enters**

 **Chapter Six: Rock Bottom**

 **"It's okay if you fall down and lose your spark. Just make sure that when you rise as the whole damn fire." - Collette Werden**

Yasu pinched the bridge of his nose, knocking his glasses slightly askew as he sighed.

"Does anyone else miss the good old days? You know...when the spirits hesitated to act out around outsiders when they first got to the scene" He finally asked.

Mai could only shake her head, staring down at her clasped hands. She was still shaking a little.

"Ms. Taniyama, we're ready to take your statement now. I understand how upsetting this must be. We'll try to make it quick." The police officer looked down at her apologetically, notepad at the ready.

"Uh... Okay. Well, like I said earlier, I only saw the beginning of...it. Naru, That is, Shibuya-San, blocked my eyes at the last second. So, I didn't actually see the...impact." She finished on a whisper.

"And why were you even on the scene in the first place?" The officer asked quizzically.

 ** _28 Hours earlier..._**

Mai sat at her desk, trying to discretely email Masako without Naru catching her. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Yasu doing what appeared to be a crossword in the local newspaper. He really was a little bit like an old man sometimes...

Lin and Naru were behind their closed office doors, respectively.

John was dutifully working on the stack of notes from the previous case. Naru still wasn't keen on paperwork written in Kanji, but John had gotten quite good at reading it in the time he'd spent in Japan. So one of his tasks was translating Mai and the others' notes and reports to English for Naru and the European offices to read.

" _Everything's set up for my next show at the end of the week. Wanna come sit in the audience?"_ Mai's phone dinged quietly with the arrival of Masako's latest mail.

Mai grinned to herself.

It had been several weeks since Masako had freed herself from the spirit of Dr. Shiro. While some people might have been further traumatized by the event, Masako had used it as a turning point.

She had gotten back in touch with her manager, agreeing to start scheduling TV appearances again. She'd also enrolled in college courses, offered through the same program that had helped her complete high school. As a celebrity, she had attended a special high school program for students like her, in the spot light who often had to miss school for work. The school had recently partnered with a national university to start offering some college coursework also, and Mai knew Masako was secretly thrilled.

Over the years, Mai had come to realize that Masako's snobby exterior was the result of many factors, including that fact that she was excruciatingly shy. Added to the fact that not only could she see dead people, but that her money hungry parents had jumped at the idea of having a famous child, and Masako had been forced to grow up too fast.

Her blackmailing Naru when they were teens was just one example.

Having grown up in the dog-eat-dog world of show business, where everything had a price, it hadn't even seemed strange to her to blackmail him to do the things she had wanted. As she had spent more and more time with the team, however, it had started to become clear to her that she wasn't going about things the right way. She had once admitted to Mai that what she had found most appealing about Naru wasn't, in fact, his good looks, but the fact that he seemed so in complete control of himself and his life. To a girl who had grown up as nothing more than a meal ticket to money hungry parents and managers, that control had seemed extremely attractive.

Three years later, however, Masako had grown leaps and bounds. She had cut the purse strings, so to speak, with her money grubbing parents and found herself a manager more interested in her own goals. She had started doing pro bono work with the Tokyo Police, though only certain divisions were willing to work with her. Suspicions about gifts like hers naturally ran high. She'd also started hanging out with Mai and Yasu and their friends, getting a chance to experience some of the "normal" things she had been forced to miss out on as a kid.

Mai was thrilled to be on better terms with the girl. Masako was a genuine professional when it came to her abilities, and had helped Mai through more than one difficult episode. Plus, she was actually pretty nice when she loosened up.

" _So... are you going to wear a kimono?_ " Mai typed back mischievously.

"Mai!" She heard Naru call from behind his closed office door. "Is the new equipment sorted out?"

New equipment had been coming in spurts for the last few months now. Last time around, the Tokyo SPR has been a secret, of sorts. This time around, the European branches knew everything, which meant better funding, a bigger staff, more equipment, and a lot more paperwork.

"All taken care of!" She yelled back, sighing.

At least she'd put her foot down about the stupid tea. She'd been adamant she wasn't going to be his tea jockey this time around. If she wanted to be making tea every twenty minutes, she'd still be working at the tea shop. She did still make tea of course, usually once or twice a day for all the staff, her Narcissistic boss included, as well as when clients came.

But no more "Mai, Tea!" every time she walked in the door.

If she were honest with herself, a tiny (teeny, tiny-microscopic) part of her missed it. It had seemed at the time to be almost a private joke between the two of them. Even Masako had remarked on it, as teenagers, before she'd outgrown her crush on Naru.

But Mai was determined to be more than just Naru's "Yes Girl" this time around. Even her title was different. John and Lin were assistants, Yasu's paperwork coded him as a part time researcher, and Mai's own title was "Investigator (part-time, thank you college).

Ayako, Bou-San and Masako we're officially back on the books as consultants.

Additionally, there were a few more rules and regulations in place. They'd all had to get certain vaccinations and a clean bill of health from the hospital (Ayako had taken care of Mai's). John had gotten his license, so as to be able to drive the van. They had all gone through back ground checks.

Naru had explained that their work this time around would be providing data used in studies and possibly referenced in scientific articles and papers that could be read by numerous people in the Psychic Research Community. Their findings (and therefore, the investigators themselves) had to be above reproach.

Mai stood, stretching her sore muscles. Though the guys never really made her lift heavy stuff, there had been a lot of equipment to move and get sorted.

A lot of shelves had been built. At least she was a lot quicker at it then she used to be. Even Naru had only managed to find one or two things to complain about.

This time around, they had extra cameras and thermometers, two way radios, as well as a bigger unit that would sit in base for all the smaller radios to communicate with, and a ton of new, fancier microphones. There were even some handheld camcorders that Mai was pretty sure she was bound to drop and break at some point-

"Excuse me... is this Shibuya Psychic Research?" A pale women had quietly walked in, surprising Mai out of her musings.

John and Yasu both looked up intently, but they allowed Mai to take the lead. Naru often preferred Mai to be the client's "first contact" when possible because she supposedly had a "calming personality".

Mai was pretty sure it was just an excuse to have Mai get the client settled in with a cup of tea (which naturally became a round of tea for EVERYONE), but since Naru could definitely be off-putting at times, she didn't really mind.

"Welcome. I'm Taniyama-San." Mai greeted politely. Naru had asked her to use only her last name when first meeting a client. She wasn't sure if it was simply a matter of professionalism, or caution (curse dolls and crazed stalkers came to mind).

"Allow me to get my boss. Would you care for some tea?" She asked.

The woman smiled shakily, and Mai could tell she'd been crying.

"Please." The woman agreed quietly.

The story was dramatic, even by SPR's standards.

'A haunted church...' Mai thought in trepidation, watching John out of the corner of her eye.

He'd sat in stoic silence while the woman had explained her situation.

"My brother was thrilled when the Bishop agreed to renovations on the old Cathedral. It hasn't been used for Mass in decades. It's structurally sound, but it needs some major overhaul before it's ready for use. He'd dreamed of "tending his own flock" for years, ever since he became a priest. He moved into the living quarters on site right away, to personally oversee the work. But less than a week later, he killed himself. He threw himself off an upper balcony." The woman began crying again.

"Not only was my brother NOT suicidal, but suicide is considered a mortal sin by the church. They won't be able to bury him in the church cemetery. His soul will be stuck in limbo." More tears were making their way down her cheeks, and Mai handed her a tissue.

She reached a shaking hand into her purse, drawing out some crumpled pages that looked like photo copies of newspaper articles. Mai took them gently, smoothing them out before handing them to Naru.

He glanced through them quickly, looking up at the woman. "Your brother wasn't the first suicide at that location?" He queried.

She nodded, swallowing. "My oldest son was especially close to my brother. He refused to accept the police's ruling of suicide. He began doing research and found that over the past eighty years, four other men have jumped from that same balcony."

"It could simply be a coincidence." John said, not unkindly.

"I know. But my son, he's adamant. He claims all the men fit a "victim profile". Men between the ages of twenty five and forty five, no evidence of depression or other outside reasons for suicide, like money or the death of a family member. It's never a woman or an elderly person." The woman explained.

"Your son sounds like quite the researcher." Yasu said, impressed.

She nodded. "He wants to go to law school some day. But he's determined that this cathedral is haunted. He thinks a ghost or spirit is possessing these men, making them jump." She finished, wiping her eyes. "If it can be proven, within reason of course, the church has agreed to offer a special dispensation, allowing my brother to be put to rest the way he deserves."

There was silence for a moment as the SPR members looked at each other warily.

This woman obviously had an agenda, but none of them could really blame her.

"John. Have you heard of many haunted church's or cathedrals?" Naru asked.

Mai winced internally. While it made sense for Naru to ask John about that sort of thing, Mai could only imagine it opened old wounds. While she had negotiated John's return to the team, she hadn't exactly filled in Naru on all the details of John leaving the church. She honestly only knew the bare bones of the story herself. She had never wanted to push John on the details, afraid he would cut her out of his life also. She had hoped John would begin to open up himself after working full time with Naru and Lin, it apparently hadn't happened yet.

John paused tellingly. "Unfortunately, neither Church's nor Priests are immune to possession." He finally said quietly.

Watching his sad face made Mai want to cry, but she swallowed hard, forcing it past the lump in her throat.

"Has the Church agreed to the investigation? I would have thought they'd have preferred to handle this internally?" Naru asked, handing the papers to Lin.

The woman nodded. "They weren't thrilled, if I'm being completely honest. But they said if I could get your group to to the investigation, they would allow it. Apparently you are known for your discretion."

Mai's eyes flew to John, but his face gave nothing away. She wondered if John's superiors had learned he was now working here full time. She knew they hoped he would someday return to the church.

"Mai, what are your thoughts?" Naru asked suddenly, startling her.

"Uh...me?" While Naru has become better at listening to her "instincts", he'd always maintained the final word about whether or not they took as case. She understood that as a teenager, his first priority had been to locate Gene's body. She hadn't known it at the time, but he had purposefully been taking cases in certain areas.

This time around, she wasn't sure if he was asking what her instincts said, or asking for her input because he knew she knew more about John's past with the Church than she had shared with him.

Either was honestly a little alarming. Naru trying to take other's opinions into consideration was obviously a good thing...

It was just... not something she was expecting.

"Mai?" Naru prompted again and she flushed in embarrassment.

Closing her eyes, she tried to listen to her instincts. She didn't have time to visit her Tea Shop.

But did she really need Gene's help anyway? She already knew the right thing for the team to do. It was just John she was worried about. But if he wasn't going to complain, she couldn't exactly complain for him...

She looked over at John one last time before nodding at Naru. "I think we should investigate."

Naru glanced over at Lin and Yasu. Both men nodded.

"We'll take the case. Please tell your contact at the church to be expecting us tomorrow sometime. John, please contact Bou-San and Ayako."

It was still strange to hear Naru call the others so familiarly. Before, she and Lin had been the only ones he addressed as such. This time, she realized, he had started using the same names for the others as she did, whether it be a nickname, like she did for Bou-San, or a first name, like she did for John.

She wondered whether he was doing it on purpose, part of his effort to rebuild the team. Or perhaps it was simply more natural to him, as they often used first names in England?

Perhaps Naru had changed too...

"Mai, I assume that since you've been spending the afternoon emailing Masako instead of doing your work, that you can let her know about the case?" Naru said, smirk in his voice if not on his face...

Mai flushed again.

Nope. Same old Naru.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Yay, another chapter. Let's see, a mysterious fight with Naru, Lin's being distant with Mai again, and now Ayako's avoiding poor Bou-San. When will these kids get it together. And is it just me, or does Naru seem a little jealous...of John?

Surely not. Naru's not like that...lol.

As always, Not My Sandbox!

 **Where The Light Enters**

 **Chapter Seven: Blood from a Stone**

 **"Some girls are full of heartache and poetry and those are the kinds of girls who try to save wolves instead of running away from them." - Nikita Gill**

'It really was a beautiful building' Mai thought to herself as she stared up at the Church. Nearly five stories at the highest points, it had weathered better than most. Though nowhere as large as some she had seen, it still had an elegance to it, like an elderly lady who had borne her years well.

But it felt so...sad.

"All good there, Mai?" John's face popped into view, and she stepped back, blinking.

"Yeah, sorry." She laughed at herself, shaking her head a little in embarrassment. "Just trying to get a feel for the area."

"No harm in that." He said easily, shifting the box he held in his arms. "It's kind of your job to daydream, after all."

"Please don't let Naru hear you say that." Mai said, grimacing.

"Your secret's safe with me." John grinned, and she was struck all over again by how good looking he was. She could still remember Ayako's shocked expresssion when she had learned that Catholic Priests didn't date.

" _What a waste_." Ayako had proclaimed, shaking her head in mock horror.

When she had first met him years ago, she had nearly mistaken him for a beautiful thirteen-year old girl. Honestly, between Naru, Masako and John, she had felt quite the ugly duckling. Even Lin and Ayako were decidedly good looking.

The years had seen John grow, albeit only a little. He was still the smallest in stature among the men of her group, only an inch or so taller than her. His cheek bones were perhaps a little more pronounced. His hair was a little shaggier.

But the biggest change was something less physical. His eyes seemed so much older. Older and tired.

They had lost their light.

"Mai!" She heard Naru's cross voice coming up from behind John, and she grimacing silently to the blond, holding a finger to her lips conspiratorially.

He winked back, and she shook her head.

' _Such a waste_...' she laughed silently to herself.

"Grabbing a box now, Naru!" She said, quickly turning to the van John and the others had started unloading. She only got a few steps however before a hand on her shoulder had her pausing to look up at her boss inquisitively.

Yeah. He was definitely still mad about their fight last night...

"John and Lin can handle the boxes." He said dismissively, and she frowned. Though yesterday he had given the appearance of caring about John's possible feelings about the case, this morning he seemed cross not just with her but John as well...

"The caretaker who is supposed to liaison with us is nowhere to be found. The room for the base is just inside the door however. We'll take care of the equipment while we wait for the caretaker." Naru said in a clipped tone, handing her one of the new handheld cameras.

"We shouldn't explore the rest of the interior until he is here. However, Masako only has today and tommorrow to assist us. Take one of the new camcorders and do a walk-through of the grounds. Take notes of any spirits she finds. And don't drop the camera." With that, he turned on his heel and stride back to the van.

"Yes, Sir!" She snapped a salute like she'd seen on TV, sticking her tongue out at his retreating back.

 _Jerk_.

"What have you done to him now?" Masako asked in amusement as she glided over to where Mai stood, fiddling with the camera.

"Me? To him? Nothing..." Mai scoffed, quickly turning her face away. No matter how close she and Masako had become over the years, she was not interested in rehashing the argument she and Naru had had last night at the office after the client had left. John and Yasu had gone home already too, and if Lin had heard it, he certainly wasn't going to say anything to her about it.

Though thinking on it, Lin had seemed to be acting a little colder to her than usual the last few days anyway.

' _One step forward, two steps back_..." She thought to herself, sighing.

She and Masako began their walk around the Church grounds. From Yasu's notes, she knew it had been built soon after the ban on Christianity had been lifted, making it one of the oldest ones in the area.

' _It's so quiet_...' Mai thought, looking around. Though the church was situated in a relatively prosperous neighborhood, it owned the land for several acres around it in all directions. It was almost like it was situated in the middle of its own private park.

There were trees all around, crowding nearly up to the driveway and footpaths in some places.

"Ayako would have loved it here." Masako commented quietly, and Mai nodded glumly.

Ayako has claimed she wasn't able to switch her shifts at the hospital, but Mai had a suspicion it was because she wasn't ready to be around Bou-San so soon after their last case.

Bou-San himself wouldn't be there until later this evening, so for the moment, it was only the five of them.

Mai made sure to hold the camera steady as she panned around the area. They passed several small buildings, and even a small cemetery.

"Sensing any spirits?" She asked, turning the camera towards Masako.

Masako frowned in concentration. "Yes, several. They all seem very sad, but otherwise fairly quiet. Perhaps I'll be able to tell more once we are in the actual church." She finished.

Mai nodded. Though she couldn't sense spirits the way Masako could, everything her own instincts were telling her matched the younger girl's statements.

Unlike the church they had visited on Christmas Eve years ago, this was a sad place.

' _Could simple human emotions be enough to imprint on a place? Could something like that trigger latent suicidal tendencies in someone?_ ' Mai wondered. She thought about asking Naru later, but doubted he'd answer.

They'd nearly circled back around to the vehicles when, as one, the two girls suddenly stopped.

Something was different. She panned the camera around again, but couldn't see anything.

"The wind has picked up, but the trees do not appear to be moving." Mai narrated quietly for the sake of the camera. Naru had made it a point to tell her to describe what they were experiencing.

In fact, despite the wind, the air had a heavy quality. It seemed harder to breathe. It was getting cooler, too. But perhaps that was just the wind...

Even the light seemed different suddenly, like a storm was approaching.

"Mai..." Masako's voice had an echoing quality to it as she suddenly grabbed Mai's free hand. She was starring up at the tallest section of the church's roof. The was a balcony of sorts on what could only be described as a parapet.

"I see him." Mai mumbled, her lips feeling strangely numb and stiff.

It wasn't the first time the two girls had shared a vision.

But this felt...weird.

Mai's arms and legs felt heavy as she stared numbly at the man standing on the roof.

' _Is this a vision of Father Higerashi_?' She wondered. She felt almost like she was dreaming, or sleepwalking. She wondered if she was managing to get it on camera but her head felt too heavy to even turn to glance at it.

' _I can't move._..' She thought to herself, eyes glued to the man above.

The man stood swaying on the roof's edge. He was too far up to see his facial expressions, but Mai felt like she was drowning in his sorrow, even down below.

So heavy...

This doesn't feel right...should they just watch?

But they couldn't change a vision, she knew. This was just some horrible echo of a tragedy that had already occurred.

But it still felt wrong...she couldn't look away.

"Masako? Mai? Everything all right- oh no!" John dropped the box he was carrying, sprinting away from the two girls, into the church.

' _Something's wrong_!' Mai thought, panic starting to unfurl in her stomach. John shouldn't have been able to see the vision.

But she still couldn't move!

"Is this...really... happening?" Masako's words were slow and stumbling, as is she were drunk.

Mai felt the same, like to time she had sprained her ankle and Ayako had given her a strong pain killer the first night to help her sleep.

Her limbs were leaden even as her breathing began to quicken.

" _This IS happening_...", she managed to whisper, straining against her own body.

The man, whoever he was, was about to jump. She knew instinctively that John would never reach him in time.

But she couldn't move, couldn't look away.

' _I'm about to watch him die_.' She realized, still frozen.

She'd seen death. Even seen someone jump to their death before. She and Masako saw death all the time. But it was usually nothing more than echos. A ghost's memories.

But the truth was, guys on the team had honestly tried rather hard to keep her and Masako away from things like actual bodies.

But now she was watching it happen, to a real person, right in front of her...

Her heart was pounding in her chest, trying to break out of her rib cage.

He was going to jump and it would be partially their fault. They had seen it first but done nothing, mistaking it for a vision.

 _Why couldn't she move?!_

The man took a last step forward. When he fell he would literally land only a few yards from them.

"Help.." She whispered, but the words had no strength in them...

 _She didn't want to see this!_

The man pitched forward, and a scream tore its way up Mai's throat before it, too, was caught.

He was falling, not a sound from his own lips-

A hand suddenly covered her eyes, shocking her with its warmth.

Or was it that she was cold?

She was pulled back against someone's chest, eyes still covered...

She smelled tea.

 _Naru_?

"Shhhhh". He said, so close to her ear she could feel his breath in her face and she sagged against him.

'I _always thought of him as cold natured, but he was actually warm_ ' Mai's thoughts careened wildly, random and panicked.

There was a dull thud, and her knees went out.

1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1-1

Naru and Yasu has done their best to fill the still disoriented girls in afterwards.

John had become concerned when he had seen them standing there, just staring at the roof.

They hadn't responded to his calls, hadn't even indicated they had heard him, in fact. From his position, he hadn't been able to see what they were staring at until he had come closer. Upon realizing the situation, he had run into the church, but like Mai had already known, it was too late.

Naru and Yasu's first indication of trouble had been when John had run past them, yelling "Get the girls".

They had, in turn, retraced John's steps to where and Masako were standing, getting there in time to do little more than pull them further away from the potential impact.

"I was half-afraid he was going to land on you." Yasu said, shaking his head again. "You two were standing there like you were hypnotized. And you were freezing cold." He added in a low voice, turning to look at Masako where she sat, wearing one of Yasu's hoodies.

Mai realized with a start that she was still where Naru's suit jacket.

She honestly didn't even remember him giving it to her. The whole episode had taken on a dreamlike quality, for which she was immensely grateful.

"And you and Hara-San just stood there and watched?" The Police Officer asked, and Mai imagined she could here censure in his voice.

She didn't blame him at all. They HAD just stood there. At least John had tried to help...

"They were obviously in shock." Naru's cool voice cut through the night, startling the officer, who flushed. "What exactly would you have had two young women do? Brown-San was already inside."

"Of course." The Officer said, retreating quickly from Naru's cutting words.

It was unlike Naru. He normally insisted on being professional, if not courteous to local law enforcement.

"There wasn't anything you could do, you know that, right?" Yasu asked in a worried voice.

She nodded. Intellectually, at least, she understood. The Spirit had held them in some sort of trance, apparently wanting an audience this time around. Mai had somehow gotten most of it on camera, which Naru had turned over to the police.

But it did nothing to appease the crushing sense of guilt she felt.

Would this have happened if she had listened to Naru last night?

"Mai!" Bou-san's voice broke through her stupor as he rushed up to her. "I just got here. Is everyone alright?" He looked their small group over frantically, particularly the three youngest members.

Mai nodded, as did Masako and Yasu.

"The police apparently have concluded that this has somehow become a "hot spot" for people wanting to commit suicide, the way some bridges in larger cities are." The disdain was clear in Naru's voice. "They're already ready to declare it a suicide, based on Mai's footage."

"Who was he?" Mai asked quietly.

Who was the man they had allowed to die?

"The caretaker." Naru replied after a moment, sounding almost reluctant.

'Well, at least we know now that this place is definitely haunted.' Lin concluded solemnly.

"The police have agreed to release the scene tomorrow. For tonight, we'll all head to a motel." Naru stated.

Mai turned to look at the church one last time as she climbed in the van beside Naru. She could feel him watching her, and she wondered if he, too, was remembering their fight last night.

"I wish we could have proven it a different way..." She whispered.


	9. Chapter 9

A/n: So, a low action chapter, but still crucial. I figured it was time you guys got to hear Mai's perspective. As you can see, no happy ending any time soon. On the plus side, that means I get to torture them with spirits and make them rescue each other over and over again.

So

Many

PlotBunnies...

As always- Not My Sandbox

 **Where The Light Enters**

 **Chapter 8: Rocks & Glass Houses**

 **"That's the lesson of life, isn't it? It gives us one person who teaches us both that true love exists, and that fairy tales don't." - Leo Christopher.**

Mai walked out of the hotel's small bathroom, sighing as she toweled her hair dry. It was kind of a pain, and for a moment she contemplated cutting it short like she had worn it in high school.

' _Better not to look back._..' She decided, chewing her lip. She was still cold. No matter how hot she had turned the water temperature to, she hadn't been able to shake the cold settled into her bones.

Masako glanced up from her spot on her bed. "Feeling any better?"

Mai arched a wry brow at her. "Are you?"

Masako flopped back on the bed, a casual action Mai would never have expected her capable of three years ago. "Absolutely not."

"There you go." Mai agreed.

A knock on the door had them looking at each other.

"Probably just on of the guys." Mai said, shrugging.

"Make sure you look first!" Masako said quickly, and the slight edge of fear in her voice was enough to let Mai know just how badly the events days had shaken her.

"It's Yasu!" The voice called from the other side a the door, and Mai grinned, shooting Masako a quick look.

Opening the door, she surveyed her other best friend. He was standing there with a bag of chips and box of Pocky.

"I brought gifts?" He said, holding up his offerings.

Mai grinned back. "Well, in that case..." She stepped aside to let him in.

"Oh! Yasu! Your sweatshirt, I'm sorry, I should have returned it earlier..." Masako was sitting straight up now, looking for the item in question, and Mai's grin widened.

Those two had been circling each other warily for months now, and it was so cute sometimes it made her teeth hurt.

Yasu was worried he wasn't enough to hold a celebrity's attention, and Masako worried that her shallow upbringing wouldn't allow her to maintain a relationship with someone as real and down to earth as Yasu.

In short, they were pretty much attracted to each while being mutually terrified of each other.

And they thought she had no clue...

 **Too. Damn. CUTE!**

But still. They were moving at glacial speed...

Perhaps she could help things along.

"It's not a big deal, Masako." Yasu said with his easy smile as he reached out to take his sweatshirt from her.

"I'm going to go get drinks!" Mai suddenly announced, wallet in hand.

"Uh... wait...I'll go with you..." Masako stuttered, standing, but Mai waived her off.

"My treat!" She called grabbing her room key and dashing out the door.

She giggled to herself as she rode the elevator down to the lobby, but her giggles quickly faded as the days events came back to haunt her once more.

She walked across the small lobby to where she had seen some vending machines when they first checked in. It wasn't a particularly large hotel, but it was cleaner than a lot of places they had stayed during 'hunts', so she wasn't complaining.

She fed the machine change, fist getting Masako's favorite before picking out a juice she knew Yasu liked. When she went to feed it a third time, she realized she was one coin short.

Typical.

Oh well...

She leaned her head against the machines cool glass, wanting to give the other two a little more time alone.

All too soon, however, her mind had drifted once again to the caretaker's suicide.

Which naturally circled back to last night's fight...

 _Yasu and John had already left, Yasu needing to study for a test, and John to, Well, whatever he now did with his free time._

 _"_ _Mai, can you come in here please?" Naru had called from his office._

 _The 'please' was enough to put Mai on alert._

 _The Narcissist wanted something._

 _She was betting on tea, but perhaps it was something more serious. Was he going to press her for answers about John?_

 _Would she answer if he did?_

 _Though John hadn't sworn her to secrecy, per se, it was obvious he hadn't spoken about his reasons for leaving the church with anyone else._

 _It was obviously personal, but a sound argument could be made for it being work related too, she knew, and if anyone was capable of composing a sound argument, it was Naru..._

 _"_ _Hey, I'm just about to leave..." she said, from just inside the door. She wanted to be able to make a quick escape if necessary._

 _"_ _Come here, I need to give you something." He said, his voice as impersonal as ever._

 _She frowned._

 _Needed to give her something?_

 _She walked closer, curious, despite herself._

 _He reached in his drawer and pulled out a small velvet sack, perhaps the size of her palm. Upending it on the table, a silver ring fell out. She picked it up curiously, turning it over in her hand._

 _It was obviously a man's ring, solid metal, silver by her guess. Unlike the average ring she had seen in the shops back home, this one looked... crafted. Handmade. On both the inside and outside she could see characters etched in it. It looked a little like the talismans Ayako made sometimes, and a little like the characters Lin had used for his exorcism, but not quite either._

 _"_ _It was Gene's." Naru said simply, and the breath froze in her chest. She looked at him silently, waiting for him to elaborate._

 _"_ _While your abilities manifested only a few years ago, Gene's abilities, like mine, manifested as children. They were often overwhelming. Nightmares, visions and ghosts everywhere. Finally my mother found a holy person, a shaman, you might say, to make this for him. It has wards to lessen psychic abilities like yours. It will help give you an extra level of protection. He'd out grown the ring by the time we were twelve or thirteen, so I expect it will fit you now."_

 _Oh._

 _ **Oh**_ _._

 _A part of her wanted to cry at the thought of her sweet spirit guide as a vision-tormented child. Another part of her sorrowed at the tangible expression of love Luella had obviously felt for her now dead child. And yet another part of her marveled at how hard Naru seemed to be trying to what he THOUGHT was the right thing._

 _But mostly, there was just a gaping stillness inside her._

 _That Naru wanted to protect her was a good thing, she knew on an intellectual level. That he thought she'd like to own something of Gene's wasn't unexpected._

 _Nothing about this gesture was wrong, or rude or-_

 _(Me...or Gene?)_

 _"_ _Thank you, Naru. I really appreciate the gesture." She said, hoping her sincerity could be heard in her voice._

 _It was just so heavy. It was heavy with all the hopes and fears and misunderstandings that had swirled between the three of them. The hopes of their Mother. The plans Gene had for himself. Naru's love for the brother he cared for but never understood. Expectations and misunderstandings._

 _(Me...or Gene?)_

 _She handed the ring back to him gently._

 _It was heavy, and she was tired of holding onto all these heavy things._

 _"_ _But I'm going to have to decline."_

 _She didn't want it._

 _Not the ring, what it could do, what it was a symbol of, of what she was afraid it meant._

 _She was happy to have Gene back as her spirit guide._

 _But she did not want that ring._

 _Naru's eyes widened for a fraction of a second before his brows lowered ominously, and she braced herself._

 _It felt like the room was colder suddenly._

 _"_ _You're turning it down?" He clarified, his words painfully calm._

 _She smiled. "I am. I'm not afraid of my powers, Naru. For better or worse, they're a part of me. I'm supposed to see the things I see, feel the things I feel. I have to believe that."_

 _"_ _You realize this won't stop your dreams. Like your Tea Shop, it simply gives you more control." His voice was tighter now._

" _It's not the same." She shook her head adamantly. "I created the tea shop myself. I earned that power over my abilities. This is just a crutch. It would be a step back."_

 _That wasn't the only reason, of corse. Honestly it wasn't even the most important one to her, but it was the only one she was comfortable sharing with Naru._

 _"_ _And if you get hurt because you refused my help?" Naru asked, his voice rising in the empty office._

 _"_ _That's just life, Naru. People get hurt crossing the street." She said unthinkingly, before her eyes widened in horror as she realized what she'd just said._

 _Naru just stared at her for an endless moment._

 _"_ _Naru, I'm so sorry-"_

 _"_ _Get out." He said curtly, and she swore there was frost on the window panes._

 _She had just stood there helplessly for a moment, frustrated beyond words that no matter how hard she and Naru talked AT each other, they seemed doomed to never reach the other person's heart_ -

"I assume you'll inform me if the vending machine is possessed?" The quiet voice startled her.

How did he ALWAYS manage to find her when her mind was a million miles away?

No wonder he thought she needed to be protected.

"Thank you for today." She said simply. She hadn't thanked him earlier, and she wanted him to know it mattered. It was surprisingly hard to say, especially after refusing help the night before. But it was the right thing to do.

She walked past him softly. She knew if she stayed with him she'd end up in tears because no matter how hopeless it was, she loved him, and when he did things like what he'd done today, it broke her heart just a little more.

There was a small thud behind her.

"Mai." She turned despite herself. He had so much control over her it was scary, even after all this time. He thought she was obstinate, but to her it felt very much like simply trying to survive.

He held out the can of green tea, and she took it, smiling at him helplessly.

"Thank you, Naru."

It really was hopeless, wasn't it?

She started back to the elevator.

"Why did you really turn the ring down?" He asked, curiosity in his voice. Hiding just behind the words she thought she could sense the hurt.

 _Because he'd broken her heart_. Because he didn't even **_believe_** that he had. Because it was his brother's. Because she knew a part of him thought of _her_ as his brother's, also.

Because she hadn't understood her own feelings enough three years ago to answer him, and he was gone by the time she did.

And because it wouldn't have mattered anyway. Because in forcing herself to sort through her own emotions, she'd been forced to face the truth about Naru, and his actions.

That he saw himself in her, the orphan. But more than that, he saw _Gene_. Gene the orphan. Gene the medium. Gene the emotional one, the heartfelt one, the smiling one.

The one he hadn't been able to protect.

Gene was who he had failed, and Mai was who was left.

Mai, who was an outgoing orphan with psychic powers. Mai who was just like Gene, only a little louder. Mai who, according to Lin, even said things that Gene had once said.

She even had Gene as her spirit guide.

 _She had called him by his brother's nickname._

Of course he was going to feel like he had to protect her. In Naru's mind, helping Mai must have been a way of coping with his brother's loss.

Why else would he have taken on such a clueless novice? She was loud and argumentative. She broke things. She had never understood the subtleties of their investigations. Lin and Naru has always carried the true burden of their investigations. They had carried Mai, too.

She just didn't understand that til later.

Naru was a scientist, pure and simple. Yes, he was loyal. Yes, he could be kind. But he was not illogical.

So there was really only one reason he could have had for keeping her around. For protecting her over and over again. For falling into a sewer, or cushioning her from a falling ceiling.

He had accused her of not being able to separate her feelings for him from her feelings for his brother.

She could have said the same to him.

But what good would it do?

It wasn't his fault he didn't actually care about her.

But though she was glad Gene was back as her spirit guide, she did not want to be in his shadow. She couldn't be the replacement Naru didn't even realize he was seeking.

The three of them, Naru, Gene and Mai, were all tangled hopelessly together. She didn't know when one ended and the other began.

All she could do was try to mitigate the damage as best as possible.

Naru was growing too. She could sense it even when she couldn't always see it. How could she let herself get too wrapped up in him when he was bound to wake up and realize one day that he didn't love Mai.

She looked back over her shoulder. "Because it's too heavy, Naru. I can't carry that much weight around and still do what needs to done."

She faced forward. "Someday you'll understand people as well as you think you do. As well as you understand ghosts, Naru."

A/N: So, there you have it. Naru still thinks Mai is in love with Gene. Mai believes Naru is using her as a replacement for Gene. No heartache here...


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: So, things are starting to pick up and take shape. Thanks to everyone who reviewed, you make my day.**

 **As Always, Not My Sandbox!**

 **Where The Light Enters**

 **Chapter 9 "Like A Rock".**

 _She stood, surveying the Tea Shop. It already looked much better. Gene had managed to help quite a bit._

 _She didn't see him anywhere though._

 _He must have gone on to the dream then._

 _Pausing, she took a deep breath, opening the door. She wasn't sure she was ready to watch another suicide, but she wasn't willing to do nothing, either._

 _She recognized the Church immediately, though there were differences._

 _It looked newer, the windows gleaming, entryway swept. The paths were even, the gravel obviously recently raked. Flowers bloomed here and there, the landscaping was well maintained, lovingly so, if she had to guess._

 _But more than that, the aura of sadness that surrounded the Church upon their first visit was conspicuously absent. The sun streamed down, and the whole area felt peaceful._

 _She walked forward curiously._

 _Whose memory was this?_

 _Looking around, she spied Gene in the doorway, half-obscured in the shadows. He raised a finger to his ear, pantomiming for "listen"._

 _She stepped closer, trying to peer inside._

 _There were two figures, their clothing several decades out of current fashion. They were even deeper in the shadows, and she couldn't make their faces out._

 _They appeared to be arguing._

 _"_ _Hiro, please." The woman begged, clutching the other figure's arm. "You are not yourself lately. This is just what happened to our Mother. I beg you, go to a physician."_

 _The man scoffed. His voice had a wild tinge to it, discordant. Manic almost. I refuse to be locked away like Father did to our Mother. The Lord is the only Doctor I need. My faith is absolute, An."_

 _"_ _Brother, please listen to me. Even the parishioners are starting to notice how strange your moods have become. Fewer than ever came to this mornings mass." The woman tried again, pleading._

 _There was the sound of a slap and Mai covered her mouth reflexively._

 _The only Priests she had ever personally encountered had seemed calm and_

 _gentle._

 _There was a stunning silence from within, followed by quiet weeping._

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Mai awoke back in her bed in the motel, tears drying on her cheeks. She stared at the ceiling for a moment, steadying her breathing. When the dream's emotions had lessened their grip on her, she sat up, reaching for her dream journal.

She had decided to keep a separate journal for cases, one that she wrote in with the intentions of everyone on the team being potentially privy too. She replaced Gene's name with the simple Kanji for "Guide."

The others knew she now had a guide again, and if they had their own theories about her guide's return coinciding with Naru's return, they kept them to themselves.

Masako had seen Mai document her dreams enough times to wait until Mai was finished writing before she greeted her.

"Case related?" She asked as Mai capped her pen.

"Yeah, I think so." Mai said thoughtfully. The girls quickly dressed and met the others downstairs. There was a family style restaurant just across from their motel, so they decided to convene there for breakfast and the morning rundown.

Mai somehow found herself between Naru and Lin. The tension was enough to make her food hard to swallow, but she persevered as best as she could.

She understood Naru's frustration, but what had she done to upset Lin this time?

she watched John surreptitiously as she ate. This had to be hard on him, doing a job in a Church. She knew he missed his true calling, no matter what he said (or, more accurately, didn't say.)

After everyone had more or less finished their meal, Naru got down to business.

"Yasu, you're on research. The next closest church has been storing the documents for this one for several years now. They've agreed to give you full access. Here's the address." Naru slid the address across the table to Yasu. "Remember, if the police closed prior cases as quickly as they did the caretaker's last night, we can't expect any paperwork to be 100% accurate."

Yasu nodded. "I'll make sure to talk to as many people as I can, to try and ferret out any inconsistencies."

"Lin and Bou-San will finish setting up base. Masako, this is your last day. I want you do walk through the entire interior, marking a map with any activity you notice. John, you'll go with her. You have the best understanding of the lay out of a Catholic Church. You'll also notice if anything is out of the ordinary. Talk one of the two-way radios with you, and contact Lin immediately if anything seems strange." John and Masako nodded. John's face seemed slightly strained, but if the situation was upsetting him, he wasn't going to say anything, it seemed.

"Mai, we're going to set cameras and thermometers." Naru finished.

Mai opened her mouth to argue, as did Lin, but Naru cut them both off. "No arguments. Bou-San and Lin are the two team members who fall squarely into this target's preferred victim profile. The base already has the charms Ayako made for us set up inside."

Lin closed his mouth reluctantly, shooting her an inscrutable look.

She wondered if he really had overheard her and Naru's fight two nights ago.

Without further discussion, they left and headed towards the Church, except for Yasu, who headed out to do his research.

Mai had passed her journal around the table at breakfast, so the others knew the content of her dream. Unfortunately, other than the first names, it didn't give them much to go on.

As she stared up at the Church, the contrast between its current state and it's prior glory were even more apparent.

"Should we split up and work floor by floor, it will be quicker?" She said to Naru, picking up a box of the recording equipment. Without answering her, Naru picked up his own box and walked past her, and she followed finally, unsure to take his lack of response as a yes or no.

"We'll work on the same floor together. Don't go further than a room away." He said finally, and she frowned.

Yes, she had gotten tangled up in the ghost's vision yesterday, but so had Masako, darn it.

Plus, she had her own radio. She opened her mouth to argue, but remembering the tension at breakfast this morning, she decided this wasn't 'The hill she wanted to die on', to quote her mother.

They worked quickly, not having to fear that a misplaced step would send them plummeting through the floor. Though dusty, the Church was still sound.

Her mind get going back to her dream, and how different the Priest had seemed from John. Even after everything that had happened, John was still gentle and kind.

By the next floor, she was sweaty and dirty, but they were making good time so she didn't protest Naru's slave-driving pace. She was on the last room when the view out the window caught her eye.

Walking over, she placed her hand on the glass. It was cool, despite the heat of the day. She could see the small cemetery they had passed yesterday. From here she could actually see its entirely. It was different than the Shrine where she visited her parents. A black, wrought iron fence marked its borders. Climbing plants twined along the posts, and several of the stones tilted or leaned.

' _Who cares for that plac_ e?' She wondered, feeling something dance and spark along the far reach of her consciousness.

The caretaker had obviously cared for the building while neglecting the grounds.

Along one side of the fence, the grass seemed thinner on the outside.

Had there once been a path there? Did it matter?

"Mai!" Naru called crossly from the door and she jumped.

"Naru, I think there may be a path down there-" She started to gesture to the window.

" **I don't pay you to stand around and daydream**!" He snapped, sounding furious.

She froze in place, all thoughts of the path flying from her mind. She stared at him in wide-eyed shock.

Even Naru looked taken aback by his tone.

Had Naru EVER spoken to her like that before? Her chest tightened and tears pricked at her eyes, but she forced them back.

Had he ever actually yelled at her?

"I apologize." The words were stiff. "That was uncalled for."

"I'm going to go help Bou-San." She said, pushing past him, hurrying towards the stairs. She shouldn't leave him alone, she knew.

But she honestly didn't care at that moment.

She half stumbled on the last step, her ankle twinging quietly in protest but she ignored it. She needed motion, or she would start crying.

' _It's just this place_...' she told herself. ' _It's so sad it's affecting you_.'

She absolutely wasn't crying because Naru was a jerk.

She burst into base, a flurry of motion that had both Lin and Bou-San startling from their work on the equipment.

"Jou-San?" Bou-San asked, the old nickname as familiar as a worn blanket from childhood.

"Let me help." She said, instead of answering his unspoken question.

"There's not much left to do." Lin said, looking behind her, probably for Naru.

"Where's Noll?" He asked.

"Still upstairs." She replied, refusing to feel guilty. He wanted her to work after all. So she'd find some damn work...

"No one is to go anywhere alone!" Lin snapped, and she threw up her hands in frustration.

First Naru, now Lin.

"Then go find him." She snapped.

He glared at her for a moment before briskly stepping out of the base.

"Mai?" Bou-San said quietly, leaning down to peak at her face where she'd hid behind her bangs as she busied herself straightening the last few cords and wires.

"Hmmm." She answering, turning from his all too knowing eyes.

"Mai..." he sang her name and she smiled despite herself.

"Did you and Naru get in a fight?" He finished softly, leaning against the table.

"Absolutely not." She deadpanned.

He narrowed his eyes. "Want me to beat him up? Okay, realistically. Want me to distract Lin by allowing him to kick my ass while you throw things at Naru from the top of the stairs?"

She absolutely didn't pause in consideration for a short (short, short SHORT) moment.

"Nah. I'm good." She smiled at him fondly.

"Okay." He nodded. "So, are you fighting with Lin?"

She sighed. "Maybe?"

"Maybe?"

"Well, I mean, how would a person even know? Would he give them the silent treatment? Type harder? Stare at the monitors in angry tension?"She said, trying to make light of the situation between her and the Onmyoji.

"You know kid, just say the word. We'll jump in the car, Yasu can trigger the phone tree. We'll leave the jerks here and all go to a movie..."She hit his arm playfully.

"Stop." She scolded, laughing. "You'd never walk out on people like this."

He sighed. "I am too good." He agreed mournfully.

She laughing again, stepping away from the table to reach for her book bag. Now that monitors were set, she might as well work on some homework.

He ankle had other plans, however.

"Ahhh!" She cried, pitching forward a little before catching herself. It was just a little sore, but it had caught her unaware.

"Mai!" Bou-San cried, hurrying over to her. "What happened?"

"I just turned it a little on the stairs." She said, waving him off. She grabbed her bag, rummaging through the side pocket for the wrap bandage she kept there.

"What's going on?" Naru said from the doorway, a glowering Lin behind him.

"Nothing on the monitors." Mai replied as she took of her sock and shoe. She'd gotten good at wrapping her own ankle in a way that still let her where her shoes.

"That's good to hear, but not exactly why I meant." Naru said, walking over to kneel in front of her.

She stiffened, leaning back from him. "I just caught it on the step. It's not bad."

She tried waving him off, but he took the wrap out of her hands. Gently he took her foot in his hands, rotating it just a little. She gritted her teeth, more out of frustration than pain.

"See. It's fine." She tried grabbing the bandage away from him, but he placed it calmly in his pocket. She threw up her hands.

"Naru..."

"I need better light." He announced calmly.

Then he picked her up, walking past a stunned John and Masako out the door.

' _What the actual hell is happening_?' She thought, clutching Naru's shoulders for support.

He carried her easily, not surprising, despite his slim build he often carried equipment that weighed upwards of eighty or even a hundred pounds.

"Naru, put me down!" She finally managed to work the strangled words past her stunned mouth. He was going to carry her out of the Church!

"Not yet." He replied simply, and she considered smacking him on top of his head.

She'd been spending to much time with Ayako...

Finally, they reached the van. The back doors were still open from where the boys had been unloading, and he set her down on the edge.

"What the hell, Naru!" She shouted, arms waving in her panic.

"I didn't intend to yell at you." He said, turning to state up at the Church.

She seethed. "If this is your idea of an apology-"

"No, Mai." He said, turning to look at her. "I mean, those were not the actual words I was intending to say. It was like something suddenly influenced me."

Seriously? That was what he was going with?

"The ghost made you do it?" She said flatly.

Worst apology ever.

"Mai!" His voice had sharpened, but it was still nothing like earlier. "If your daydreaming was enough to enrage me, we would have discovered that fact years ago."

She paused, trying to think calmly.

"O-Kay. But- _what are you doing now_?" She said as he knelt down.

"Wrapping your ankle." He said, his voice stating that it was really quite obvious.

"You know, it could just be you having a bad day. Not even you are perfect, Naru." How did her trying to play devil's advocate to his theory end up sounding like tacit forgiveness?

"Lin told me he snapped at you at base, also. He seemed...unnerved." Naru said, checking over the bandage before handing her other shoe to her.

Where had he even put her shoe-

Wait.

"Lin was unnerved?" She asked, looking up at the Church also.

"Both Lin and I have are hard to get strong emotional reactions from." Naru said, and she snorted.

"Ya think." She paused in thought. "And this requires you carrying me out of the building, why?"

"I was unsure whether the ghost was targeting you or you just happened to trigger it the first few times. If I'd said anything around the others, they wouldn't be able to respond naturally." He said, as if it were nothing.

She just stared at him, nonplussed.

Was carrying girls randomly a thing in England? Did he not get how that looked to everyone inside? Not to mention her heart was still thundering a million miles a moment because Naru the Freaking Narcissist, who she once confessed to (and was rejected so hard he hadn't even technically said the words) had just carried her bridal style _out of a church_ -

Breathe.

Focus.

Just do the job.

Her panic proved one thing, however. Naru was pretty unflappable. She was freaking out and he didn't even think it was uncomfortable. So could a ghost really impart random emotions into him without his even knowing? The time she had been possessed, she had understood what was going on. She just hadn't been able to stop it.

So how could a ghost take both Naru and Lin completely unaware?

"But I don't think the ghost planted emotions in you guys." Mai said, trying to explain the vague feeling she had. It was one of her 'hunches'...

"You and Lin ARE hard to get a rise out of." She acknowledged. "I don't think the spirit could manipulate either of you two that easily."

Naru looked down in thought. "Perhaps it momentarily amplified our own emotions."

"Huh?" She asked, trying to follow his train of thought.

"Those were clearly not our natural emotions. But perhaps they started that way. As simple frustration which the ghost amplified." He mused.

"It can do that?" Because that would be awesome considering just how dysfunctional everyone apparently was at the moment.

Even she had felt unlike herself, however.

Or, more precisely, too much like herself. She'd wanted to cry since yesterday, but hadn't allowed herself. She'd known she wouldn't be able to finish the job if she gave in.

But when Naru had yelled at her, she hadn't even fought back, which wasn't her normal response...

"It's still just conjecture at this point. The thermometer wasn't set yet in the room where we were, so we don't know if there was a temperature drop or not." He said.

"Uh...Mai?" Masako, Bou-San and John were trailing out of the Church, looking both concerned and bemused by turns.

She was blushing so hard her face actually hurt. Yasu was NEVER going to let her live this down once someone told him.

"Masako." Naru was oblivious to their curious looks, however. "What are your findings."

"There are several male spirits around. Perhaps the ghosts of the men who jumped, I cannot be certain. The overall aura of this place, however, is that of extreme sadness." She stated.

"Sadness?" Naru questioned sharply. "Not anger?"

She shook her head. "Sorrow. Despair, even. But I do not detect any anger." She answered, looking at him quizzically.

"That's how I feel, too." Mai agreed. "It's enough to make me want to cry, but I don't feel angry."

"Were you already sad?" Naru asked, suddenly turning to Mai.

She gaped at him.

"Uh...um.." None of your business...

"Was it simply amplifying an emotion you already felt." He clarified in exasperation.

"No." She shook her head adamantly. "Just walking into this place, it's like the colors bleach out of everything."

"Like you're depressed?" John asked, cocking his head.

She thought for a moment. "Well, Yeah. Maybe. It's not unlike how I felt after my Mom died. Not the shock of it, the part that comes after. When you're numb."

John and Bou-San both looked at the Church thoughtfully.

"I haven't felt anything." John finally shrugged, looking over at Bou-San. He looked deep in thought, however. She made a mental to try and talk to him later.

Bou-San looked tellingly at Mai before saying "I feel tired and frustrated and sad, but I think it's just to a natural degree. A man died yesterday, after all."

Naru sighed, running his hands through his hair in frustration. It was strange to see his normally perfect hair mussed.

"All the cameras are set. Let's meet back at the motel to rendezvous with Yasu, then come back to do some night investigating."


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: Yay! Things are moving faster now. Another chapter might go up tonight because I'M INSPIRED. On another note, someone mentioned to me that "san" does not need to be capitalized. Unfortunately, my phone (which I have typed this whole story on, who is a badass? Yeah, this girl...) refuses to believe it and I have honestly given up the battle.**

 **Reviews are love! And make me update faster...**

 **Where The Light Enters**

 **Chapter 10: Rocks and Glass Houses**

Yasu laid his research pages out on the table, side by side, reports and photos forming a rough timeline.

"The Caretaker and Father Higerashi make victims five and six in the last sixty years or so. Like his nephew uncovered, it's always men between 25 and 45. The deaths were spaced out rather erratically, so it may be a matter of opportunity rather than a pattern. Also, all spent significant time in the building."

"How significant?" Naru asked, pulling a photo over to peruse it.

"They all appeared to have spent at least one, if not several nights on the Church grounds." Yasu replied.

"The first death was Father Ozawa. He and his sister, An, lived on the grounds from the time construction was completed until his death eight years later. He was the parish Priest, and she acted as a Housekeeper and Gardener."

"And it was definitely a suicide?" Bou-San asked.

Yasu nodded. "There was a crowd of parishioners, including his own sister, who saw him jump. We have no way of knowing if he became the spirit, or was simply the Spirit's first victim, though."

"In my dream, his sister said he was acting strangely." Mai said, thinking back over the woman's words.

"He could have been possessed?" Masako offered.

"Your dream also mentioned An saying their Mother had similiar symptoms, and had to be sent away." John said, tapping his finger on the table.

Are you thinking he was mentally ill?" Naru asked.

John shrugged. "Violent mood swings and suicide is not uncommon in that community if they don't have access to proper care. Back then, even less was known about mental health."

"Are the violently ill that much more likely to become a restless Spirit?" Yasu asked.

Bou-San nodded. "Between the strong emotions they're experiencing, plus the greater likelihood that they have unfinished business, it can be quite likely."

"It's still just a theory." Naru said, frustration edging his voice. "We'll need to stay over night at the Church tonight. As always, anyone who is worried for their personal safety can leave. Masako, I know you need to head back tonight. Bou-San, would you please drive her?"

Bou-San opened his mouth to reply, but made a strangled "humph!" Instead when Mai stomped on his foot under the table.

"Yasu has to go back for a test tomorrow anyway." She said brightly, attempting to project innocence into her next words. "He should take her."

"Yeah..." Bou-San mumbled, watching her warily out of the corner of his eye.

"Uh, sure." Yasu said, pushing up his glasses. He shot Mai a knowing look while at the far end, Masako simply blushed.

"Alright." Naru wasn't the least bit amused by their antics, apparently.

"The rest of us will head over to the Church then."

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Mai sat in the stuffy stillness of the base, trying not to fall asleep. Naru has insisted she stay off her foot by staying in base with Lin, of all people.

She was overwhelmed with enthusiasm.

Lin was as silent as ever, but there was a tension to his silence that hadn't been there until recently. It reminded her of years ago, when they had fought over their respective nationalities.

She had thought all that was behind them, however.

Surely he wasn't holding a grudge over her fight with Naru?

"Anything at your end?" Naru's voice came over the radio. Mai reached for their radio to reply, but Lin reached over, taking it out of her hand.

"We're seeing some minor temperature fluctuations, upstairs at the moment." He said.

"Got it. We'll head up there then." Naru replied as Mai seethed quietly.

Naru had decreed that the other three investigate as a group while she was stuck with Lin.

Enough was enough.

She reached over, turning down the volume on their radio unit, just in case any if their conversation actually carried over to the others.

"Why are you so angry with me?" She said, turning to face Lin.

There was a long silence where she thought he might not even bother to answer her, before he said simply "I'm not."

"Yeah, right." She answered sarcastically. "You obviously have a problem with me. Look what happened earlier."

"As Naru said, the Spirit was influencing our actions." He said, refusing to face her.

"No." She retorted. "He thinks the Spirit is amplifying emotions we already have. In other words, you were already mad at me."

The tension in the room was thick enough to cut with a knife, but Mai refused to back down.

She needed answers.

"You're dangerous to Naru." Lin said, finally turning to face her.

"Huh?" She said, jaw dropping.

"You heard me. You're dangerous to Naru, and a liability to this team." Lin snapped.

"What gives you the right to say that to me?" She said, fury and hurt welling up.

"In the one year we were last in Japan, Naru used his PK three times, ending up in the hospital twice. Do you know what the one common denominator was in each of those situations?" Lin questioned sharply.

"Ghosts?" She said weakly, dreading where this conversation seemed to be heading.

"You, Mai. You were there." Lin said, watching for her reaction.

Pain shot through her at his words.

Was that the truth?

"Are you saying he hasn't used his PK once in the last three years?" She asked finally in disbelief.

"Not once. You are the only explanation." Lin said with finality.

She shook her head, wiping away an angry tear. "You told me that last time it WASN'T my fault." She pointed out.

"It may not be your fault, that's true." Lin conceded. "Buts it's naive to ignore the fact that you are obviously as much of a trigger to Naru as you are to the Spirits. You're rash and emotional, you always end up in trouble. Naru-"

"Feels responsible for me?" She finished, heart sinking.

She looked away, mind swirling with angry and hurt thoughts. If she stayed in that room a moment longer, she'd probably say something she'd regret...

"I'm going to walk around the ground floor." She said, grabbing a camera from the desk before practically running out of the room. She ignored the pain in her ankle. She could hear Lin hot on her heels.

She entered the main room of the Church. She thought John had called it the Sanctuary.

"Mai!" Lin's voice was furious as he caught her by the shoulder, spinning her around to face him.

"This is exactly what I mean. You always let your emotions cloud your judgement. No one is supposed to go anywhere alone but you run off, alone, at night. Do you like having him rescue you? Is that it?" Lin cried.

She reared back in shock.

"How..dare..you." She finally choked up, camera clenched in her shaking hands.

"How can I think otherwise when you constantly make decisions that might force him to use his powers? You're not a child anymore." Lin accused.

She knew that.

Of course, she knew that.

Her powers were based on her ability to sympathize with the spirits, however. She literally wouldn't be who she was if she didn't feel things so deeply.

She did her best to stay out of Naru's way, now, too. She rode with other people, sat by other people at meals. She did everything she could think of to keep things professional between her and Naru.

She didn't want to be someone who had to be rescued over and over again. She'd never forget how terrified she'd been outside that cave years ago.

"You need to start take accountability for your actions!" Lin intoned, and she snapped.

"I know that! What do you think I'm trying to do!-"

The candlestick flew out from nowhere. Silver and obviously heavy, it smashed into a pew hard enough to send splinters of wood flying up.

Mai screamed in surprise as she and Lin ducked, searching the room for more projectiles.

The glass in the window panes rattles softly, and she tensed, in case they blew in.

Somewhere, a door slammed.

"Lin! Mai!" The other three ran into the Sanctuary, Naru in the lead. Mai had the mental wherewithal to quickly hit the erase button on the camcorder at her side.

That was not a video she wanted anyone to hear...

"What happened?" Naru said, striding over to them. Looking between the two of them, his eyes narrowed. "We tried radioing base, but no one answered. Why did you leave?"

Mai didn't answer, simply looking away.

Her fault again.

"The Spirit seems to react strongly to Mai. I suggest we send her back to the motel." Lin said suddenly, and all the air seemed to rush out of Mai's lungs.

She knew he was acting out of concern for Naru.

But it didn't lessen the sting any.

"I'll sleep in the van." She said, shoving the now empty camcorder at Naru.

Apparently she was only useful when she was unconscious.

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 _She walked beside Gene in the late afternoon's fading light. They appeared to once again be on the Church's ground, but she didn't recognize the path they were on._

 _The reached a small clearing up ahead._

 _She could hear weeping, sad enough to break a heart. Mai's own body once again felt overwhelmed with sadness._

 _"_ _Breathe, Mai." Gene said gently, squeezing her hand, and after a moment, she squeezed back._

 _She forced herself to watch instead of simply getting caught up in the feelings._

 _The woman was facing away from them. She was several years older than the last dream Mai had had of her, but her gut to her it was the same woman._

 _An._

 _She was kneeling, pulling plants out of the ground in a jerking fashion._

 _She was weeding?_

 _But why here, in the middle of a copse of trees? Who would plant a garden here then come tend it while crying?_

 _She wished she could see her face-_

"Mai. Mai..." The hand on her shoulder was gentle, the voice concerned.

"John." She said, sitting up quickly. Vertigo assailed her for a moment.

It was late, not quite morning but she sensed it wasn't far away.

"You were crying. Should I go get Bou-San? Or Naru?" He added the last somewhat warily.

She shook her head, deep in thought.

She looked up. "Will you come somewhere with me?"

He frowned.

"I don't think they want you back inside." He said gently.

She shook her head. "I'm not going inside. I want to go to the cemetery. There's something there...I think."

He studied her for a moment before grinning. "Who needs job security?"

She felt a pang of guilt. "John, I don't want you to get in trouble with Naru..."

He arched a brow at her. "The only thing that would get him madder at me than going with you right now is if I let you go by yourself. He's a little..."

"Overprotective?" She supplied.

"Concerned. With the whole team, of course. But you've always been a priority of his." John said relictantly.

She sighed. "I've been told that before."

She grabbed the camera John had brought with him, and they headed towards the cemetery, flashlights trained on the path ahead of them.

"Why'd you come out, anyway?" She asked.

"Naru was worried about you being by yourself. He's inside with Bou-San and Lin." John said in a voice that made her think he'd been happy to take a break.

They reached the cemetery.

"What are we looking for, exactly?" John asked, turning in a slow circle.

"I don't know." She answered honestly, glad she was with John, the one team member at the moment who wouldn't give her grief for that answer.

A stone near the fence caught her eye, and she stepped forward, aiming the beam of her flashlight on the words.

" **An** **Ozawa** " She read.

The first Priest's sister. She'd died less than a decade after her bother.

The woman from Mai's dream.

Looking at the fence, she remembered the path she had thought she had seen from the window.

"This way..." She motioned to John, and they walked out of the gate, following the fence to where the tree line encroached on the cemetery.

"I think there used to be a path here..." She started towards the old path, John trailing behind her.

"What the hell are you doing?" Naru's harsh voice nearly gave her a heart attack.

Mai and John whirled around the way they had come.

Naru, Lin and Bou-San stood at the gates to the cemetery.

Mai sighed, already anticipating another fight.

"Naru. It's okay. She wasn't going alone, and she wasn't back in the Church." John said, a thread of anger in his own voice.

"It's not safe. You heard Lin earlier. The Spirit is targeting Mai." Bou-San said, gesturing wildly.

"He didn't say it was targeting her. He said she "triggered it". John retorted. "But it never happened around you or me. Just Lin and Naru. For all we know, they're the triggers."

"Mai is obviously the trigger. We've seen it before." Lin said coldly.

"Besides, that doesn't mean it's okay to just wander off in the woods with her." Naru accused coldly. "Especially since you're not a Priest anymore."

"What is that supposed to mean?" John asked, stepping forward.

"Exactly what I said. I don't even know why you left the Priesthood. No one does, except for Mai." Naru said, stepping forward also.

"I can protect her just as well as you can. I might not even end up in the hospital." John shouted.

"Unless you can exercise a Spirit without the blessing of the Church behind you, you're obviously not able to protect her." Bou-San exclaimed.

"She shouldn't be wondering off without permission anyway." Naru said.

"She's not your pet!" Bou-San exclaimed angrily. "I don't like how you and Lin have been treating her on this case!"

"What exactly are you going to do about it?" Lin said in low challenge.

" ** _What the hell is going on here?_** " The voice from behind them had all four men spinning around.

Ayako stood in the moonlight, an angry tigress. Still in her work clothes, she'd obviously come right after her shift at the hospital.

"I got a weird email from Mai a few hours ago, asking me to pick her up. Now she's not answering her phone, and I find you boys arguing out here like little kids!" She threw her arms up in frustration.

"Well? Where is she? What the hell have you jerks done now?" She cried, stepping forward.

"She's right-" John's eyes widened in horror as he and the others looked around quickly.

Mai was gone.

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Mai followed the ghostly figure through the trees.

Well, she followed the image on the camera, anyway.

The fight had already started to escalate when she had glanced down at the camcorder still in her hand. It was running, and aimed towards the path she and John had been about to go down.

The ghostly figure of the woman had been clearly evident in the camcorder viewfinder, but when she looked up, she could see nothing with her own two eyes.

She had followed instinctively. Something had been leading towards this path all day now, but every time she'd tried to investigate, something or someone had stopped her.

As she moved through the trees, she could hear the echoes of the guys fighting.

She was sure this was somehow going to end up being her fault, but she couldn't bring her self to care.

She didn't know if this was the work of the spirit, or if it was just their own ghosts coming back to haunt them.

" _Are we taking the train somewhere?" Naru had asked sceptically, as they walked through the crowds at Shinjuku Station._

 _"_ _We don't need to." She replied as they came across the box city. Large boxes were lined up neatly in rows, arranged in some order she didn't truly understand. Homeless men sat and laid down here in there, as the crowds bustled by, ignoring them._

 _"_ _Even cities can be haunted." She said, gesturing towards the small community. "This is where the ghosts of Tokyo gather."_

'What a strange time to be remembering that', she thought to herself.

She tripped over a tree root in the dark, the pain in her ankle flaring up again in indignation. The trees were pressing closer together. No one had walked this path in a long time.

Still, she knew it couldn't go on much further...

" _He lives here?" Naru had asked, for once completely, visibly shocked._

 _She shook her head. "No, he couldn't. Even with the Church maintaining his work visa, the authorities wouldn't overlook a foreigner actually sleeping here."_

 _"_ _Why does the Church still maintain his Visa if he's left the Priesthood?" Naru asked, surveying the area. "And where does he actually live?"_

 _"_ _I don't know." She replied. "I get the feeling they are still hoping he returns to the fold."_

 _She reached into the bag she was carrying, pulling out several cookies which she began passing out._

 _"_ _Have you seen Davis-San?" She would ask quietly each time._

 _"_ _I think he stays in capsule motels or Internet cafes at night. He works at a bakery during the day. In the afternoon he comes here with the Bakeries leftovers." She explained as she finished handing out the cookies._

 _"_ _Once a week, I pick up some of his clothes and wash them for him. I always meet him here." She finished._

 _Something behind her caught her eye, and her stomach clenched. She prayed John would actually take Naru up on his offer..._

She stared down at the small gravestone. It was unremarkable, without decoration or embellishment.

Only a name and set of dates.

Hiro Ozawa.

He'd been 27.

Plants grew up around the stone, as if strangeling it...

"Oh my god, Mai!" Ayako called, running up behind her and throwing her arms around the solemn girl. "I thought we'd lost you..."

"I wasn't lost." Mai replied, still staring at the stone. "I knew exactly where I was."

"Mai, why didn't you wait for us?" Boy-San added, coming up to the two women.

"You were busy." Mai said flatly, stepping out of Ayako's arms.

Bou-San and John had the grace to look abashed, but both Naru and Lin were as unreadable as ever.

"This is what my dreams have been trying to show me." She continued in the same flat tone.

"Her Brother was the only family she had left. She watched him turn into a stranger before her very eyes. Then he died and they buried him out here. I don't know why that matters though."

She was tired.

"It's not consecrated ground, like the cemetery." John supplied gently. "Just like Father Higerashi wasn't given last rights because they ruled it a suicide."

"There you go." Mai said, turning to Ayako. "Can I crash at your place tonight?"

There was a stunned silence from the group. "Sure, Mai. If that's what you really want..."

It was obviously Ayako was surprised by Mai's wanting to leave before the case was fully resolved.

"I am." Mainsaid resolutely.

"So you'll leave before we've finished the job?" Naru said coldly.

Ayako's face transformed from concerned to furious in a heartbeat.

The sound of her slap echoed in the tiny clearing.

Beside Mai, Bou-San tensed.

"Don't you dare talk to her about leaving..." Ayako hissed.

"Ayako, go. Take Mai and go." Bou-San was now standing between Ayako and Naru and Lin.

Mai watched with wide eyes.

"Let's go Mai." Ayako said, dragging her out of the clearing.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Thanks for all the reviews! Hopefully this chapter makes you hate Lin a little less. He's not the focus just yet, but I needed to lay some ground work for he and Mai to work out later. Sorry if he seemed a little OOC, but I rewatched the Christmas episode and it definitely seems like he has it in him to snap in the right or wrong situations. Plus, he pretty much raised Naru, and with Gene's death, it seems like he could reasonably have some baggage of his own that an aggressive spirit could have a field day with.**

 **As always, Ghost Hunt is not mine... (sob, sob-sob)**

 **Reviews are love. I get to work a twelve hour shift tomorrow, and Saturday I have an adoption event to run for the animal rescue I volunteer with (adopt, don't Shop!)!, so if nothing gets updated Friday, it probably will on Sunday.**

 **-RavensGame**

 **Where The Light Enters**

 **Chapter 11 "From The Ground Up** "

Mai laid in the spare bedroom at Ayako's apartment, listening to the woman's whispered argument with Bou-San.

" _No, I will not bring her back!_ " Ayako hissed, words getting unintentionally louder. " _You_ _ **lost**_ _her, Houshou. She was literally standing beside you guys and somehow you still lost her. You were all to busy arguing about her to notice she had even left..."_

" _There were four of you there yet no one saw anything. I hate to break it to you, but she's obviously not the problem..."_

 _"_ _I don't care what that Jerk says. She's sleeping and I'm not waking her up. I'm about to head in for my shift anyway. If she wants to return later, I'll have my car service bring her."_

 _"_ _No way in hell. Didn't you see the look on her face last night? I trusted her with you guys. I figured you and Naru at least would be enough to keep her safe!"_

" _Fight with Lin...how do you even fight with_ _ **Lin**_ _? John and Naru? You're not making any sense. But if that's what happened, you tell our boss I'll bring her back when his damn guard dog apologizes!"_

She heard the sound of Ayako's phone snapping shut, hard enough to echo.

The door creaked open softly and Mai closed her eyes, pretending to still be asleep. She felt gentle fingers brush her bangs out of her face before quiet footsteps padded out of the room. A few moments later she heard a second door close.

She stared up at the ceiling, wishing her brain was as numb as the rest of her.

What was all that yesterday?

Her...Naru. Lin?

And John. Sweet, gentle John going toe to toe with Naru.

But was it all really just the work of the ghost? She knew it was amplifying people's emotions. It was obviously strong.

But how much of all that had really already been locked up inside of their hearts?

She got up eventually, wondering into the kitchen to make herself some tea. Ayako had left a note on the counter urging her to eat something when she got up, but even though she had spent the night enough times to be familiar with Ayako's kitchen, she didn't bother.

The thought of trying to eat was actually nauseating. At least her ankle seemed a little better.

A business-like knock on the door had her steeling herself with a deep breath.

She stared down at the counter in consternation.

She'd made a second cup of tea without realizing she was doing it.

 _Company_.

She should probably be embarrassed to open the door looking the way she did, Ayako's sleep top and pants were loose on her, but after yesterday it seemed a little silly to worry about her pajamas.

She opened the door warily.

Naru stood on the other side, looking strangely...unkempt.

Had she ever seen him so undone before? Even his hair was mussed, and her fingers twitched with the urge to smooth it down again.

"I lost control of the situation." Was all that he said.

"No shit." She replied, turning to lead him into the kitchen.

For someone so good at everything else, he really sucked at apologizing. Though honestly, he hadn't been as bad as Lin.

She heard his breath catch the moment he saw the scar on her back.

Madoka hadn't told him, then.

She didn't particularly try to hide it, but it ran across her back in a way that meant most shirts covered it, so he must not have seen it before.

"What happened?" He touched it gently, startling her. She froze, and he pulled his fingers away a split second later.

"An accident?" He asked, and she wondered if he'd tried to read her. Could he get visions from people with his Psychometry just like he could from objects?

No wonder he always seemed so aloof.

"Yasu and I were in a train wreck a little less than three years ago. He got a really deep cut on his leg, he nearly bled out. I got that. The glass broke wrong, apparently. It should have been safety glass, but for some reason it shattered wrong. A lot of people in the car were killed. I honestly didn't even feel it at the time. The paramedics had trouble getting to our car, and I was keeping pressure on Yasu's wound." She explained calmly, handing him his tea.

"Adrenaline's a good pain killer, I guess." She shrugged. It happened years ago, just one more moment she'd survived.

"It's next to your spine." He said, frowning a little. In her mind she again replayed his featherlight touch on her spine, before she slammed her mental door on that train of thought before it wrecked, too.

"Hmmm." She agreed. "Ayako said a centimeter further over and I wouldn't have been able to move, much less help Yasu."

She sat at the counter. He set her bags gently down. She hadn't even realized she left her school and overnight bags behind. She'd been exhausted, emotionally more than anything else. Ayako had pretty much led her around like a tired child.

"Yasu called last night." Naru said, holding his cup of tea without drinking, a sure sign that he was troubled.

"He managed to do a little more research on the Ozawa siblings' Mother. Anger issues, aggression, paranoia. She eventually hung herself." He said.

"So there is definitely a possibility that some sort of mental illness ran in the family, affecting both mother and son?" She tested the words out.

They felt right, but something still seemed off.

"It also seems likely that the spirit was manipulating the same emotions in us." Naru said finally.

 _Anger_...

She thought of Naru's cold eyes.

 _Aggression_...

John, the gentlest person she knew trying to pick a fight.

 _Paranoia_...

Lin accusing her of trying to hurt Naru.

Could it really be so clear cut and simple?

She stared down into her tea cup.

"And the spirit I followed last night?" She asked finally.

"We think it's An. She's buried there, and may not have gotten past the trauma of her brother's suicide. We think she's the one who tried to force you and Masako to watch the caretaker die." He answered.

So one ghost was reliving his death, and one was stuck being forced to watch it over and over again.

How horrible...

"An was several years younger than her brother. He'd raised her after her mother passed. But in your dream, you mentioned that he hit her." Naru continued.

She could tell he was picking his words with care, trying to say something without actually saying it.

"Do you believe that...the ghost was manipulating your emotions towards me, particularly? As some sort of stand in for the ghost's sister?" She asked, frowning.

"It's possible." He allowed. "But I don't know everything that was said between everyone, so I don't have a way to really be certain."

A clever way of not asking what he clearly wanted to know. He was verbally circling her like she was a frightened animal, wary of spooking her into flight.

"I'm not...I can't..." No matter how big of a jerk Lin had been to her, she had sensed real pain and concern in the man. Maybe he wouldn't have said those things to her otherwise.

He almost certainly wouldn't have said them the way they had come out.

But there was truth in his words, too.

It _would_ be naive to ignore that fact.

"The things Lin said were personal. And not entirely wrong. But if you want to know, you need to ask him." The one thing she never doubted was Lin's loyalty to Naru. He'd helped to raise him, after all. Could she blame him for being worried for him?

Especially considering Gene was now gone.

"Are you mad at Ayako?" She asked instead.

"I would't dare." He said dryly, and she choked on a laugh.

Ayako had protected Mai, and in a way, was it really different than Lin protecting Naru, especially with the ghost amplifying everyone's emotions...

"How is John?" She changed the subject again.

"You tell me, Mai. You're everyone's secret keeper, it seems." He replied, watching her intently. She wondered how much of her thought were revealed on her face.

She bit her lip for a moment, before walking over to her bag.

"I always take these with us on a job." She said, pulling out John's Bible, Rosary and a small vial of Holy Water. "Just... in case."

"The Priest who runs the orphanage we visited that Christmas is the one who gave them to me. He also told me everything I know about what happened. John's never volunteered anything, and I've honestly been too afraid to ask." She laid the items on the counter.

"You were probably always aware of how special John must have been to be both a Priest and an Exorcist so young. But shrine families are not uncommon here in Japan, just like Bou-San's, so I had no idea." Mai admitted, embarrassed by her ignorance.

"I was aware he must have an unusual set of circumstances." Naru allowed.

"Apparently, John comes from a large family, where several of the young men have gone into the Priesthood quite early. Many are also Exorcists, and they are often sent around the world to locations where the Church feels they might be needed." She explained, re-telling the story she herself had been told.

"About a year and a half ago, John apparently went with an older Priest who he was quite familiar with to a prison to give Last Rites to a prisoner scheduled for execution." She paused. "I'm not sure if the Priest was family, an uncle or cousin, perhaps...Anyway. The prisoner had killed three young boys before the police caught him. He'd claimed at his trial that he was innocent, that he'd been possessed, but obviously the Court didn't believe him."

"Did John do an exorcism?" Naru asked, his voice carefully devoid of any emotion.

She nodded. "He didn't want the man to die possibly trapped with another soul still inside him."

She paused, trying to explain the next part as clearly as she could, but it was a hard to remember, much less share.

"It went wrong?" Naru guessed gently.

"No." She whispered. "It went right. But while John's exorcisms can drive out a spirit without harming the host, it doesn't always drive an angry or upset spirit away."

"And an incompletely exorcised spirit is twice as dangerous." Naru said, turning to face out the window.

"Apparently, this spirit was clever. It had asked to be exorcised so a new host would come. It possessed the other Priest John was with. John didn't realize it soon enough. The Priest went on to kill two alter boys before he was killed in an altercation with the Police." She finished lowly, staring at her hands where they clasped her cup.

"And that's when he lost his faith?" Naru queried.

"I don't think he's ever lost his faith in the Church." She responded. "He lost his faith in himself."

There was a still silence between them for a moment.

"Thank you for telling me." Naru said finally.

"What will you do?" She asked. Without John, they couldn't do a cleansing.

"Bou-San will attempt to exercise Hiro's spirit today. Hopefully, that will be enough to cleanse An's spirit as well. We'll write a report to the Church with our findings, and they will probably reclassify the deaths of Father Higerashi and the others as 'accidental'." Naru said.

She nodded, taking her empty cup to the sink to wash it. She took Naru's as well when he brought it over.

He backed away a few feet before leaning against the counter. She could feel him studying her.

"It's not always your job to protect me, you know." She said, turning to face him. "Honestly, it's probably an impossible job. I nearly died riding a train. My Mom died in a car accident. My Dad woke up fine one day and had cancer the next. It's just...life."

"Knowing I have no control over something and living that reality are two separate things." He stated, eyes far away.

She nodded. "I know. But how can we work together otherwise?"

Lin was right. He might be unkind, but he was right. Trouble followed her.

"I'm willing to try. It's obvious to me, no matter what is said, that this team is being held together by you." She wondered what it cost him to admit that.

"You were right when you said I understand the dead better than the living. And until now, it hasn't mattered. But I feel that this team can close cases and save lives. But I am not someone who can manage a team as diverse as this by myself." Naru stared at her steadily, and she blushed.

She knew how hard it was for Naru to admit he needed something or someone other than himself.

"I'll go get dressed."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

She stood in the cemetery, staring down at An's gravestone.

Bou-San had performed his exorcism a while ago. He'd pronounced it a success, though without Masako there to verify, they had no way to be certain. They'd stick around one more night to see if any more activity flared up.

She looked up to see John watching her.

"I told Naru." She admitted, hoping he wouldn't be mad. She needed John on her side.

"Honestly, I figured you would." He smiled crookedly at her. "I'm actually kind of surprised you waited this long."

"Do you miss it?" She asked, holding her breath, hoping he wouldn't close up on her like he had so many times before.

"Yes." He answered without hesitation. "I miss the certainty of it. Of how sure I felt in myself. Of always knowing the right answer. But all this just reminds me that while Priests are servants of God, they aren't infallible. I had just never seen the other side of it before."

He sounded wistful.

She walked over. "You could go back..."

He nodded. "I could. But every time I imagine being a Priest, all I see is my failure."

"You know." She said quietly. "When Ayako was in the hospital, I didn't have the faintest idea what to say. I'd racked my brain and everything I thought of sounded so...empty and trite. But you, you just...she woke up and you took her hand. And you broke her heart when you told her what the doctors had said. But you just kept holding her hand and you didn't need the empty words, John. You comforted her just by being you. And whatever you believe, I don't think that's changed."

She smiled at him. "Whatever it is about you that makes things better, it's still there. I can see it, even when you can't."

She wandered back over towards the van, trying to figure just what was bothering her. She'd been restless the whole afternoon. She was glad she had gotten the chance to finally, really talk to John.

 _But still._

Something felt off.

It certainly seemed like the guys were less angry and tense. Bou-San has apologized, throwing his arms around her so hard her spine had nearly cracked.

Even Lin had bowed stiffly, offering an apology for his actions.

She had apologized in turn, but she wasn't sure that things between them were truly settled.

Was that what was bothering her?

She wished she could take a quick nap. Perhaps on the astral plane she'd be able to tell if the spirits had actually departed. But she was too keyed up to sleep...

Something was wrong, but she couldn't put her finger on it...

The Church grounds still held an aura of sadness to her, but at this point, perhaps it was her own experiences coloring her impressions.

She wished Masako or Ayako were there with her.

Would anger and paranoia be enough to make someone kill them self?

It seemed more likely that it would cause the people being affected to lash out at the ones around them, just as the guys had last night.

Yet even though they all had felt the influence of the spirit, all they had done was fight.

No one had tried to jump.

 _So why was there this feeling of dread curdling in her stomach?_

"It's bothering you, too." Naru said from the church steps.

She looked up at him. "Yeah, But I don't know why."

They were missing something. Naru was frighteningly smart, even without the powers of a medium he could sense that the puzzle pieces weren't quite fitting.

He frowned. "I trust your instincts more than my own logic right now. I'll send an email to Ayako requesting she do a Tree Cleansing as soon as she can."

Mai nodded, wrapping her arms around herself.

 ** _What was wrong?_**

Suddenly, a piece of paper blew across the yard, catching against her shoe. She bent down to pick it up, freezing when she recognized it.

It was one of the personal wards of protection Ayako had made for everyone to carry with them.

"Naru, you're still carrying yours, aren't you?" She asked suddenly, her voice shaking as she held the paper out for him to see.

"Yes." He said, striding forward, grabbing it from her.

"I am, also." John said, walking up to join them.

Was it from the base?

No, it was too small to be one of the ones they Had affixed to the wall...

She dashed for the door, completely disregarding the pain in her ankle. Lin looked up from his computer, standing when he saw the look of panic on her face.

"What is it, Mai?"

" ** _Bou-San_**!" She whispered, whipping around to run up the stairs.

Without that charm, even a monk could be vulnerable to possession.

"He was walking through the upper floors." Lin called from behind her.

She didn't bother stopping at the second or even third floor, however.

 **They'd gotten it wrong.**

People didn't commit suicide out of anger.

They did it out of despair.

Hiro had been the angry one, which meant-

It hadn't been Hiro killing the men.

It had been An, acting out her despair and avenging her brother's perceived mistreatment.

She'd been forced to watch her brother die, living in despair at the thought of her brother's soul being stuck in limbo because of the Church's ruling.

 _They'd exorcised the wrong spirit._

The rooftop access had been blocked by police by several wooden boards nailed across it, but as she neared she could see where they'd already been wrenched off. One of the boards looked like it had blood on it.

She ran through the door without hesitation, nearly hurtling off the small balcony herself. Catching herself by one hand in the doorframe, her breath froze in her chest.

The balcony was small, meant only for a maintenance worker or roofer to be able to perch momentarily or stow their gear. It had a low, iron railing on the outside, but it was clearly meant at decoration more than deterrent.

Bou-San had climbed over, and now perched unsteadily on the precipice, facing the setting sun.

 _Oh, kami-sama, please no..._

He was so motionless, completely at the Spirits mercy, sonunlike the lively man she knew so well.

It never even occurred to her to hesitate.

This was Bou-San, her protector and honorary big brother.

She ran to the railing, throwing her arms around the dazed man from behind.

"Bou-San snap out of it! **You have to fight**!" She screamed.

But she knew just how strong An's spirit was firsthand. She had driven the caretaker over this same balcony while holding both her and Masako in thrall.

The railing barely reached the top of her thighs. Bou-San was over six foot, she knew her weight wouldn't be enough to stop them from going over...

But what else could she do?

She braced her legs as best she could. She considered removing one hand from Bou-san's chest to grip the railing, but she knew she couldn't hold onto him with only one arm if he jumped.

How long would An hesitate? The caretaker had lingered at the edge for only a moment, it had seemed to her.

Or was Bou-San fighting back?

"Fight her, Bou-San! You can do this..." she whispered frantically, the words practically tripping over themselves as they tumbled past her lips.

"Please, please. Fight it... do it for me, for Ayako! You're strong enough, I know you are, please!"

Behind her, she could hear Lin gasp. She knew somehow without even looking that Naru was there also, but she couldn't think about him right now.

She had to focus on Bou-San.

"Mai!" Somehow Naru managed to say the word calmly, but she could feel the tension dripping from the single syllable. "You're not heavy enough to stop him, switch with Lin."

It was a command she couldn't follow.

She knew, somehow she just knew that the moment she let go, in that one moment, Bou-San would lose his internal battle with the Spirit.

 _"_ _I can't_ " She panted, terror making tears crawl down her cheeks. "He's fighting her."

"Mai, I need you to let go and go to Noll, okay? I can't exercise Bou-San with you holding on to him."

And in that moment she understood Lin so much _better_.

Because she could sense the rising tension behind her, even though she didn't dare move, even just to turn her head to look. The temperature had dropped so much she was shaking from it, and she didn't know if it was the ghost or Naru.

And she understood just how real Lin's concern for Naru was, because she knew without a doubt that if she and Bou-Sanwent over that railing, in his guilt Naru would try to save them, and probably die for the effort.

She _was_ dangerous to Naru.

But she couldn't let go.

She knew, on that instinctual level Naru had identified years ago, that her arms around Bou-San were the only reason the ghost had not managed to make him tumble off the edge.

Just like she knew that Lin wasn't like John. Lin's exorcisms required altars and incense and preparation.

He couldn't save Bou-San from this ghost and she couldn't let go.

"Mai, you have to switch places with me." She knew Lin was trying to keep his voice as low as possible, worried about antagonizing the spirit.

"Let go, Mai!" Even Naru's voice sounded strained...she was so cold, and her ankle was throbbing-

And if Bou-San went over she was going too.

Because she couldn't lose anyone else. This family was broken and twisted, full of dents and cracks.

But it was hers.

"I got you." She whispered to Bou-San, leaning her forehead against his back. She knew in her heart the man could hear her, even though there was no physical reaction. Bou-San was as still and lifeless as a doll waiting for the wind to knock him out of her grasp.

"Mai." A new voice, and Mai's knees nearly sagged in relief.

 _Oh please-oh please-oh please-please please please be the help she'd been praying for._

"Mai, I'm going to exorcise Bou-San in a moment. It won't hurt him, but at the end, he'll probably pass out. When that happens, you won't be able to hold him up." John said the words quietly.

"Okay." She whispered. "Okay..." Was she reassuring Bou-San, or just herself?

"How do we do this?" Her arms were starting to shake with the strain of her effort.

"I'm grabbing his arm." Lin calmly walked her through the intricate dance of trading places.

"Reach back with your far hand. Noll will grab you and pull you out of the way while I take your place." He instructed.

Still, she hesitated...

"Please trust me..." Lin said so lowly only she could hear it.

"Don't let go." She replied, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.

Things moved almost too quickly after that.

Naru grabbed her arm so hard she thought it might pull out of its socket. He'd yanked her back hard, not stopping at the doorway, but pulling her back farther, inside the inner landing.

She knew he didn't want her to watch if somethingwent wrong, if John's exorcism failed, but she fought back, desperate to know what was happening.

This wasn't a stranger, this was Bou-San...

But his arms were like steel around her and he sat abruptly, taking her with him as they tumbled to the wooden platform, a writhing tangle of arms and legs.

"No! Naru, NO!" She cried, beating her fists against his chest.!she tried to turn around but he only pulled her tighter.

"Look at me!" He commanded, but she couldn't see anything but her own tears as she sobbed in fear, still trying to turn around.

Behind her, she could hear the familiar words of John's exorcism, but she was so afraid it wouldn't work...

What if, by letting go of Bou-San, she had sentenced him to die just like the caretaker had?

"You have to _breathe_ , Mai." Naru said, gripping her face in both hands, forcing her to look at him. "Trust in John, and breathe. **They need you to believe!"**

" _Whatever it is about you that makes things better, it's still there. I can see it, even when you can't_

"I do.." she whispered raggedly.

She did believe in John, and She believed in Bou-San...

"I do believe in them." She bowed her head, sucking in jagged breaths, closing her eyes in order to listen better.

There was a shout, and the sound of John and Lin struggling, and fear-laced adrenaline shot through her again, nerves lighting up like electricity, but Naru didn't release her. He stared steadily over her head, though she could feel his tension, the way his own muscles were coiled, ready to spring to action.

Coming in here with her had meant giving up his own chance to help, she realized.

It hadn't simply been about her faith after all.

There was a heavy silence, before she heard John's breathless voice.

"Well, Mate. Good ta have ya back."

His accent had never sounded better.

She looked at Naru, smiling tremulously at him.

"Ayako's going to hit someone for this." She warned him.

"It's Lin's turn." He said without hesitation, and if her laughter sounded a little like tears he didn't mention it.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Ooooh. Okay, so I think I can have some real fun with this case. A focus on Lin, a school full of hot guys and (scandalous breath) ... a Jealous Naru?**

 **Be. Still. My. Heart...**

 **Really though. I have a very cool plot twist planned for this case. It should be cannon compliant with the anime. I've only read the first light novel however, so if I get some small details wrong, roll with me because I'm excited to write this. I won't break any major canons, I promise. I'm just going to twist a few little things to have some fun.**

 **In other news, I'm hoping Naru comes across realistic. He's a little older now. I'm trying to balance between the "emotions are for idiots" He usually is, and the "I'm not afraid to take what I want" that he can be. I personally thought that though the Naru on the show was often very unaffectionate and unemotional, he NEVER hesitated to go after what he wanted. He pretty much operates in a straight line, so I think his "courtship" of Mai, so to speak, would be very similar. I personally think that even if he hasn't admitted to himself that he's in love with her, he probably has no problem arranging things a certain way "simply because he wants to".**

 **Naru doesn't strike me as someone that lets other people play with his toys, if you get my meaning...**

 **As always, your reviews make me stupidly happy.**

 **I work retail, so I seriously need the Love some days.**

 **-RavensGame**

 **Where The Light Enters**

 **Chapter 12 "Things Best Left Forgotten** "

"So...do you get the feeling you're being watched?" Yasu joked, hefting a box out of the van.

"Don't you mean ' _we're being watched_?" Mai asked, shifting the grip she had on her own box.

Yasu looked over her head for a moment. "No...pretty sure it's just you. Which hurts my tender feelings because obviously I'm a stud, but I'll simply have to persevere and muddle through the pain.

Mai sighed, turning to face the building awkwardly.

A group of no less than a dozen teenage boys stood next to the door of the school, watching as they (well, as she) carried in the boxes.

She was really glad she wasn't in a skirt today.

"Hey, Yasu!" She said, suddenly struck with inspiration. "Pretend to be my boyfriend for the rest of this case?"

"And have to deal with that pack of hungry wolves? Sorry Mai. Why don't you ask Lin." He said, chuckling as he walked on ahead.

Glaring at his back, she sighed.

 _Traitor_...

Steeling herself, she strode forward.

' ** _I am a Ghost Hunting Amazon Warrior and I am not intimidated by a gaggle of overly tall high school boys in expensive uniforms who vacation in other countries and probably own yachts..._** ' she told herself sternly.

She had brought this case on herself...

 _Two Days Earlier-_

" _Mom and Dad fighting again, huh?" Yasu said, leaning against her desk._

 _She rubbed her head, wishing away her headache._

 _"_ _Something like that..." she muttered._

 _In the main room of SPR, Ayako and Bou-San were getting ready to go for round three._

 _"_ _You knew I was planning on bringing Mai with me to the gig these week. It's in Hokkaido and I promised she could c_ ome the next time we went!" Bou-San yelled in frustration.

" _Well, it's not every day a patient gives me tickets to such a nice Resort. She can go with you and your smelly band mates anytime!" Ayako waved her hand nonchalantly._

 _Bou-San's eyes widened. "This is my job, you know. You don't have to be so dismissive of it."_

 _"_ _Flirting on stage with a bunch of high schoolers?" Ayako sneered._

 _"_ _At least I'm not taking gifts from sick patients!" Bou-San retorted._

 _"_ _Grateful patients!" Ayako yelled, swinging her purse at Bou-San, who ducked out of experience._

 _Please let a case come-please let a case come in-_ _ **please let a case come in.**_ _..._

 _Naru hadn't accepted a case in nearly two weeks. He was adamant about making sure the prior case was completely closed, typed up, reports in triplicate..._

 _Meanwhile, Bou-San and Auako's impromptu custody battle was steadily increasing in...vigor._

 _A knock on the door had her head whipping around. Jumping to her feet she practically ran to the door._

 _An older gentleman in a suit walked in, obviously uncomfortable._

 _"_ _Good afternoon. Is this Shibuya Psychic Research-_

 _"_ _We'll do it!" Mai cried, her enthusiasm obviously taking the man aback._

 _She was going to have to make Naru tea for a month_...

She smiled as noncommittally as she could at the group of teenagers, trying to politely edge her way around to the door.

Yasu has made it look so easy...

 _"_ _Are you actually a Ghost Hunter?"_

 _"_ _So, are you in College?"_

 _"_ _What school do you go to?"_

 _"_ _Do you have a boyfriend?"_

 _"_ _Got any single friends_?"

Abort mission! Divert! Call for back up!

She looked around frantically, spying a comrade-

"John!"

The slight man looked up, hurrying over to her, a mild look of alarm on his face (probably because she looked like a panicked fool).

Though he was in street clothes at the moment, John had finally reconciled with his superiors (and himself).

In the interest of easing back into things, they'd agreed that he should keep working with SPR, so long as he was always available if they suddenly needed him elsewhere. Since SPR was a perfect place to use his Exorcist's abilities, and the Church was a repeat client of SPR, it worked out well.

"All good there, Mai?" John smiled faintly, sensing her unease but probably clueless as to its cause.

Mai frowned as she heard the boys around her snigger at John's words. His accent was so much better than it used to be, but these guys obviously weren't impressed. She could hear them whisper-

" _Is that her boyfriend?"_

 _"_ _More like her girlfriend_..."

Mai flushed dully in anger. "It's not the box." She said, as John reached to take it from her.

"Show me where base is again?"

John frowned in confusion, but perhaps finally sensing the mood of the crowd around them, he just smiled genially.

"Sure thing."

The group reluctantly parted to let the ghost hunters pass, and John and Mai entered the school.

John whistled. "Pretty fancy for a school, huh?"

Mai could only nod in agreement. Schools were literally buildings full of potential poltergeists, so SPR had often taken cases that had them investigating them. It was how both Mai and Yasu had come onto the original team, after all.

But Mai had never stepped foot in (much less investigated) such a prestigious place.

Yasu had laughed so hard he had nearly cried when he'd heard the name of the school they were going to, but he'd refused to let Mai in on the joke. Masako has been able to shed no light on the situation either.

It wasn't until she was going over the case notes while riding in the van that she'd gotten an idea of just what had Yasu in hysterics.

This wasn't just a prestigious, private academy.

It wasn't that simple...

It was one of the most prestigious schools in that part of the country.

Looking at the arching ceilings and glittering windows, the white (who had white?) uniforms, the word "pretentious" came to mind.

" _Do you need help?"_

 _"_ _That looks heavy."_

 _"_ _Girls weren't meant to lift heavy stuff!"_

 **It was also, apparently, all boys** _._

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Mai sat at the conference room table, Naru on one side, Yasu on the other. At the end, Lin sat, ready to take notes.

"I've been the Academy's Head Administrator and Chairman for nearly thirty years." Their client, Sena-San, explained.

"I'm due to retire in just a few weeks, and the vice-chairman, Aihara-San, will then take my place. I would very much like to resolve the issues the Academy has been having prior to my retirement.

"You were very reticent at our office the other day." Naru said, shooting Mai a displeased look.

"We took this case on...faith, you might say. Can you please now elaborate on the issues you've been having?"

"If I might be blunt", Sena-San said, "it has become quite obvious to myself and several others that the Academy is haunted. The problem has been ongoing for decades now."

"And you've never sought help before now?" Naru said, eyes narrowed.

"To be quite honest, I wasn't in a position to. The Board has always been very reluctant to even acknowledge any issues the Academy might have, much less agreed to fund a team of psychic researchers. They're very concerned with the Academy's reputation, and as Director, I had to be also."

"But now that you're about to retire, you feel freer to act." Naru guessed, and Mai marveled at how well he was able to read the situation. She guessed that very few people could function as well as he did in a country other than the one they had grown up in.

"Precisely." The man nodded. "I do not wish to retire with this failure hanging over my head."

"What phenomena have you experienced?" John asked.

"Knocking sounds, as is someone is at the door, but there never is. Lights that flicker and burn out even if the bulbs have just been changed. The electricians we summon can never find a reason. Faucets that turn themselves on over night, flooding bathrooms and hallways. Student council members who often stay late report hearing footsteps in empty hallways. Rooms that stay colder than the rest of the building, even in the summer.. The list goes on and on. It's obviously not any one student. It has literally been going on for years. Though recently is does seem like it has started to escalate."

"What do you mean?" Mai asked.

At that moment, there was a knock at the door. "I apologize for being late, Sena-San." A man in his late forties entered the conference room.

"Ah, this is my soon-to-be replacement, Aihara-San." Sean-San said, standing and gesturing the man over.

"Thank you for your prompt attention to our...issues." The man said with a bow. Mai felt his gaze pass over her with disinterest. He scanned the others in a similiar manner, but a strange thing happened when he came to Lin.

He straightened suddenly, jerking upright like a poorly controlled puppet. His face paled, and he even took half a step back before regaining control of himself.

The SPR team was watching in consternation, except for Naru, whose gaze was pin-balling between the two men like lightning.

"Aihara-San." Sena scolded the man gently.

"Of course, my apologies" Aihara bowed directly to Lin this time. "You bear a striking resemblance to someone I knew once."

"Of course." Lin bowed slightly, the picture of politeness. Only people who'd spent as much time around him as they had would sense his irritation.

"Director, I have duties to attend to." Aihara turned to Sena, completely disregarding the SPR Team, and Mai got the distinct impression he thought they were a waste of time and fund.

Aihara left quickly, and the Director turned back to them.

"We still have several weeks of classes before summer vacation, as well as a cultural fair coming up soon. I know it will make your investigation harder.

"Actually," It was Lin who spoke up, surprisingly. "There appear to be cameras in a number of rooms already. We may be able to link our recording equipment to the same system."

"That should keep the majority of it out of the students way. We don't have as many cameras as you do classrooms, however. We'll need a map of the places where the most activity seems to take place."

The Director nodded. Opening a file on his desk, he took out several sheets that appeared to be layouts of the school.

"We have several students who require a higher level of protection than the average school. These are the same blueprints I share with their families' security details, with notes regarding the activity marked on them. Additionally, both our outside gate and each building have reinforced doors that lock in the evening after six. You'll see the pin pads both inside and outside. I've made cards for your team members to carry with the codes to each building as well as the gate.

Mai bit her lip, surprised at how well the Director seemed to have thought this through. He seemed to really want this to succeed.

"As you can see on the blue prints, most of the activity centers around an older building, just off of the main one. It houses most of our science classrooms and labs, as well as an auditorium." Sena informed them.

"A strange combination." Yasu remarked.

"Yes, the school has grown quite a bit, sometimes more haphazardly than I would have preferred. That building was nearly demolished years ago before we decided to refurbish it as labs. Originally they were all standard classrooms, plus a library. Now we have a much bigger library, and the old one is used for storage." The Director stood. "Please let me know if whatever else you need. Naturally, I appreciate your discretion in this matter."

"Of course." Naru agreed, and the SPR members stood as he left.

"Mai, take a map and do a walk through. Take Yasu with you. Get familiar with the place so you don't get lost." Naru said, turning to say something to Lin.

She rolled her eyes but complied, grabbing a map and one of the camcorders. Routing their equipment to the existing system was more than she was able to handle, however, so she didn't complain.

Thankfully, the school seemed much emptier than before, in all likelihood, most of the students had gone home for the day.

"Shall we head over to the old building?" Yasu asked, pointing at the map, and she nodded.

"Geez, this is like trying to learn the lay-out of my university..." She muttered. Hallway after hallway stretched out before them. Everywhere they looked, there were trophy cases and awards on the walls. "This place must be a really big deal."

"You really didn't know?" Yasu asked, chuckling again. "This place has nearly a one hundred percent college acceptance rate. Top sports teams and academic teams..."

"And a price tag to match..." she guessed, marveling again at the architecture. Her school had been nothing like this.

"You better believe it." Yasu agreed.

They exited the main building, coming out onto a covered sidewalk that led across the small quad to the older building.

Yasu pointed out the pin pad, and they took a moment to pull out their key cards.

"Here. Each building's code is listed. You type the four digit code and then press the star."

Yasu modeled the procedure for Mai and she nodded.

Entering, she could tell right away that the building used to be a central building of its own. They were in a lobby, much like (though significantly less grand) the one they had entered in the other building.

The walls were lined with rows of pictures. Walking closer, they could see name plates affixed underneath each.

"Prior faculty." Yasu said.

Mai nodded, panning her camcorder slowly around the room. Perhaps it was just the similar layout to the prior building's lobby, but she was experiencing a strong sense of...

"Hey Yasu..." She asked, walking closer to the wall where the row of photos ended.

Why did this place seem so...familiar?

The room seemed overly warm and still to her. The lights were drilling into her eyes, sparking pain that danced inside her skull.

She was sweating suddenly.

"What's that feeling...when you're suddenly sure you've been somewhere...when you know you haven't?" She asked faintly.

"Hmmm?" He said, staring down at their map. "You mean deja vu?"

He looked over at her, eyes widening as her knees started to give out on her.

"Whoa...!" He cried, easing her to a sitting position.

Darkness was swirling across her vision now, though she didn't actually pass out. Her senses narrowed to a dark, windy tunnel as she fought vertigo.

"And Mai's down." She heard Yasu radio base, the words sounding as if they had traveled a much greater distance than they actually had.

Her heart beat erratically in her chest.

"Down, or _down_?" She heard Naru reply as she sagged against the wall.

She was relieved the feeling was starting to subside already however.

What had that been?

"I'd call it more of a controlled descent." She heard Yasu say.

"I'm not a damn airplane, Yasu." She muttered distractedly.

"And she's sassing me, so I think she's okay." He added.

"I'm on my way." She heard Naru reply.

Just once she'd like to be the one who was cool and collected...

Oh, and upright.

"Hey! Are you okay?" The new voice came from somewhere to her left, but she didn't quite feel up to turning her head just yet, so all she saw were a pair of feet clad in school shoes as he came closer.

"Emergency maintenance." Yasu said, and she didn't need to see her best friend to hear the grin in his voice.

She was going to get him.

Just as soon as she could stand up...

"She's really pale." The boy said, kneeling suddenly, and Mai found herself face to face with yet another beautiful boy.

He had the most startling green eyes, one of his parents were probably foreign. Strong cheekbones and a chiseled jaw to match finished the package and Mai wished Ayako were here to see him. This guy was aiming for captain of the future heart-breakers club.

She smiled at him weakly. "I'm fine. It just happens sometimes."

Could she sound more like a nut job?

He frowned, looking between her and Yasu. "I think we'd probably better take you to the infirmary."

If she had felt better, she'd have laughed. His school's version of an 'infirmary' probably looked like Ayako's hospital.

Her school had a cot in the back of the office next to a drinking fountain.

"It's best you not move her at times like this." Naru's voice interjected coolly from behind him.

The boy stood, blocking Mai's line of sight, but she could imagine the subtle look-over taking place between two obviously alpha dogs. Yasu stayed crouched beside her, apparently happy to be left out also.

"I'm Touma Sato." The boy said after a moment, his voice warm. It made Mai think about the first time she'd ever met Naru, when he was purposefully trying to charm her and her friends.

"Shibuya, of Shibuya Psychic Research." Naru said, almost dismissively as he walked past him to crouch before Mai.

 _Real discreet, Boss._

He looked her over quickly, taking her wrist in his hand. She sat there, letting him take her pulse or whatever else he might be doing. She figured it'd just be quicker to let him have his way than try to shake him off.

"It's past now. Just a little tired." She said, trying to convey her meaning without saying too

much in front of Sato.

"I could get you a juice?" Sato offered helpfully, hovering just behind Naru.

"That won't be necessary." Naru said, suddenly scooping her up.

The quick movement had her head spinning a little, and she briefly closed her eyes.

 _Not again_...

He was going to just start hauling her around like the rest of his equipment apparently.

"I'm fine, Naru!" She hissed quietly.

She could only imagine what would happen if any other students saw her being carried like this...

Naturally he ignored her, walking towards the door.

"Whoa." Sato was obviously surprised by Naru's quick movement. "I thought you said we shouldn't move her?"

Naru paused, a mortified Mai still in his arms.

"I said it's best that _you_ not move her." He replied.


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: Okay kids. I've decided to go for it. It won't be this chapter but soon. Lin's going to get a surprise...**

 **And for all you Fairy Tail fans out there, feel free to laugh at the fact that every time I write a scene with Mai and Sato together, I hear Juvia's voice in my head hissing "Love Rival..."**

 **Just saying...**

 **Reviews are love.**

 **As always, Not My Sandbox.**

 **Where The Light Enters**

 **Chapter 13: "Things Best Left Hidden"**

"I really can't get over the size of this place..." Mai murmured from the Academy's Security Office. It turned out to be right off the hall that had led to the conference room they had used earlier, so the two rooms together were their base, of sorts.

"I know what you mean." John said, as they gazed at the wall of monitors. "I've never seen a school so large."

"Still, it's nice that we didn't have to bring in so much of our own equipment." Mai said with a grin.

"I won't complain, that's for sure." John said with a chuckle.

"Mai!" Naru called from the other room, and she made a face.

"Tea!" She and Yasu mimed in perfect unison with their boss.

She slapped a hand over her mouth to try and contain her giggles. John and Yasu didn't even bother.

Lin sat in silence, an aura of disapproval radiating from where he sat in front of his own monitor.

So much for hoping they'd gotten past their argument from a few weeks ago.

She sighed, heading into the conference room where she'd set up an electric kettle earlier. She quickly went about making a round of tea for everyone, black for Naru, Lin and John, and green for her and Yasu.

She brought Naru his cup first, squelching down the numerous memories the act brought to mind.

"Sit down." Naru said when she started to turn away.

"I'm just taking the others their tea.." She hesitated.

He of all people should be able to appreciate wanting tea to be warm...

"Just sit." He said in exasperation, and the unusual show of emotion was enough to make her sit without further thought.

"Here." He said a small velvet pouch across the table to her, and she froze, thinking for a moment that he was trying to force Gene's ring on her again.

Then she realized this bag was slightly bigger, and a different shade.

Still, she stared at it warily...

"Just open it." Irritation danced along his words, and she shot him a look before taking the bag finally. Tilting it over, a small silver medallion on a chain fell out.

"Before you get obstinate again, you should be aware that I've had them made for all the team members, myself included." Naru said, fishing his own out of his shirt collar.

Her eyes widened, before she turned to study the small pendant.

"Was this..."

"Made by the same Shaman that made Gene's ring. I asked my Mother to try and locate him, to see if he could make permanent wards for the SPR team members. I wasn't sure it would be possible, or how long it would take, but she...took to the project with enthusiasm, you could say." Naru said, a hint of amusement in his own voice.

Mai wondered if he knew his Mother had come to her, advocating for the reformation of the SPR Team.

"Fortunately, they came much quicker than I anticipated." He finished wryly.

"This is what you were waiting for?" Mai said, feeling even more embarrassed that she had forced this case on them.

"I wasn't even sure it could be done." Naru shrugged gracefully, letting her off the hook.

"However, it seemed prudent to try."

She bit her lip, worrying it with her teeth.

"Just say it, Mai." He said, raising a brow.

"This is because I wouldn't accept Gene's ring, right?" She said finally.

She wasn't trying to make it all about her, but Lin's words were echoing in her head.

He studied her for a moment, and she felt like he could see her soul, the questions and doubts she was constantly filled with.

"Yes, and no." He said finally.

She just stared at him, waiting for him to elaborate.

"The Tokyo SPR Team is different than most. We have a greater number of...sensitive individuals." He acknowledged.

She tilted her head silently in question.

"Most teams are devised primarily of researchers, like my parents." He explained.

"Like Yasu?" She asked.

"Exactly. Nearly every member of this team is sensitive to one degree or another, however. The case at the Church drove that fact home to me. It's irresponsible for me to repeatedly take sensitive people into such dangerous situations without any protection. Ayako's wards work, but they don't last because they're on paper. These are sturdier, and should help against full out possession, as well as helping to deaden some other...experiences."

She knew he was referring to when she and Masako were nearly forced to watch the caretaker's suicide.

"So they act as a filter?" She queried, turning it over. One side seemed to be a protection ward that she had seen carved into Gene's ring. The other side, however-

"One side has your name and date of birth on it. They're identical on one side, but personalized on the other. Wear that side next to your skin." Naru instructed.

"So other than our names and birthdays, they're identical?" She pressed.

"Yes. They are all made the same." He agreed neutrally.

She shook her head. "I understand what you're trying to do, but..."

She swallowed. "I'm not...really useful to the team if I can't see or sense things."

And wasn't that the crux of her problems? Either she was a danger magnet, or she was just a tea jockey. The same traits that made her useful made her dangerous.

"This is yours, Mai. Regardless of whether you wear it." He said the words gently, and she searched his face.

"What do you mean?" She asked, rubbing the pad of her finger over one side of the medallion, the engraving rough under her finger.

"Wear it when and if you choose. They don't work without skin contact. When you want to be fully open, take it off. When you want the extra layer of protection, put it on. I don't expect it will deaden your visions all that much once you've grown used to wearing it. My goal was to lessen their physical impact on you and the others." He said, reaching out to close her hand around the charm.

She froze at the contact. His skin was warm against her own. Somehow that small action felt as intimate, if not more, than when he'd carried her out of the school earlier...

"That... could be nice." She admitted.

Was it really a crutch if the whole team had them? Plus, she could take it off when she felt like it was interfering.

And perhaps it would give the others some peace of mind.

Naru was obviously trying to find a compromise, and it would be needlessly obstinate to refuse. It was one thing to be independent, and another to be a constant liability.

"Thank you. I accept." She said with a smile.

She couldn't be sure, but it seemed like an invisible tension melted off him at her words.

"Naru?" She said suddenly, surprised at her own boldness. "What do you see when you touch me?"

He looked at her, mask carefully in place. "I see you, Mai. Just like I always have."

She opened her mouth to argue, but shut it again, shaking her head ruefully.

She wasn't the only secret keeper around here.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"I was flattered Boss gave me something so nice. Then I learned he gave jewelry to all his "special people"." Yasu quipped, as they walked through the old library.

Mai snorted in amusement. Yasu had promptly put his necklace on. Since he wasn't a psychic, he had nothing to lose and everything to gain by the added level of protection.

She idly toyed with the charm around her own neck. She had to admit, the weight was comforting.

She scanned her flashlight along the wooden shelving. Most of the shelves were empty, but there was the occasional box or stack or binders.

"Looks like maybe they store records here now, and keep the regular books the students use in the new building." She said.

"I think you're right." Yasu agreed, turning the corner ahead of her.

A sound behind her made her pause. Half turning, she scanned her flashlight along the way they had just came.

"Hello?" She called, but there was no response.

Creepy footsteps.

Her favorite...

"Mai. Everything alright there?" Lin's brusque voice came across her radio. She must be in view of the camera they had installed in this room.

"I thought I heard something. Footsteps maybe?" She said, swing her flashlight around one more time. Nothing was there, however.

But the sensation of being watched was steadily growing, the tiny hairs along the back of her arms and necks standing gently at attention.

"I'm getting a steep temperature drop just ahead of you. Find Yasu. I'm sending the others your way." Lin ordered unnecessarily.

She could feel the temperature drop herself now, breath steaming in front of her.

"Yasu?" She called, rounding the corner quickly.

The row ahead of her was empty.

She frowned.

He wouldn't have wondered that far away, would he?

Footsteps sounded behind her again, and she whirled, the beam of her flashlight careening across the room.

She nearly screamed before she realized it was Yasu.

"You scared me!" She scolded.

"Look what I found!" Yasu said, holding up one of the binders she had noticed earlier.

"It's faculty records from the years when the Director said the activity first started-"

Mai screamed in earnest as the shelf next to Yasu suddenly pitched sideways, knocking into her best friend. The shelf across the aisle caught it halfway, stopping it from collapsing on him completely, but he dropped to the ground anyway.

He must have hit his head, she realized.

She lunged forward, ducking under the ominously groaning shelf.

"Yasu!" She shook him gently, but he only groaned.

She looked around frantically but Naru and the others hadn't made it to them yet. They'd been in the main building, she remembered.

The shelf over her head groaned again, and she knew she had no choice but to try and drag Yasu out before it collapsed completely on them.

She gripped him as best as she could under his arms, but it was hard. He was heavy and she couldn't stand properly because of the shelving they were stuck under.

"Dammit, Yasu..." She ground out, "You are officially on...a...diet!"

She lost her grip on him suddenly, flying back to land of her butt, scraping her palms against the rough carpet.

"Here, move!" Suddenly someone was lunging around her, grabbing Yasu by his arms. They moved him much more easily than she had...

"Sato-kun?" She asked in disbelief.

Why was he here?

"Move!" The boy yelled, and she scrambled further back, as he continued to pull Yasu. Just as they cleared the edge of the shelf, the one supporting it collapsed under the extra weight. The noise echoed loudly in the cavernous room, and she found herself staring in wide eyed shock at the teenager.

"Good timing." She said shakily.

"Yeah. Anytime..." He replied with a shaky grin of his own.

"Mai! Yasu!" She looked up from where she had fallen to meet Naru's hawklike gaze.

She opened her mouth to reply when Yasu suddenly groaned loudly.

"Oi, Boss man..." He said, pushing himself up. "I think I need a bigger amulet."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"I left a book here earlier, so I came back for it. That's when I heard the scream from the library." Sato-kun explained from his chair inside the conference room.

"How'd you get in?" Yasu asked, wincing as Lin shone a penlight in his eyes.

"I'm on the student council." Sato-kun said. "The members are often here after hours, so we know the passcodes for all the buildings. The council room is the old teacher faculty lounge in the old building."

Mai had to admit that for once it was kinda nice not to be the one in danger of being whisked away to the emergency room. A sudden stinging on her palms reminded her she hadn't gotten off totally scot free, however.

"It's fine, Naru. Just a carpet burn." She said, trying to wrench her hand away from where her boss seemed to be applying the antiseptic with an aggressive sort of enthusiasm.

"With your luck, you'll end up getting a staph infection and have to have them amputated." Naru muttered darkly.

She rolled hers. It was going to be a long night indeed if even Naru was in a melodramatic mood.

"Seriously. I don't think the spirit was the least bit interested in me. It went straight for Yasu." She said, finally freeing her hands.

"Or the binder he was holding." John said from where he'd been at the monitors, trying to replay the video footage. The angle hadn't been great, but it was clear enough to show no one else had been in the room with Mai and Yasu at the time the shelf had tipped over.

"I have it here." Sato-Kim said, holding it out helpfully. "It seemed important."

Naru took it from him, a measuring look on his face.

"Sato-kun." He said suddenly. "Has this thing kind of thing happened before around you?"

Mai and the others looked at him sharply.

"Poltergeist?" She saw John mouth to her from behind Sato-kun's back. She shrugged a little, unsure if that was what Naru was implying.

"Furniture moving? No way." Sato-Kun said, shaking his head. "There were a couple of times I thought I'd heard something. Sometimes books move around in the student council room. Stuff like that. Mainly in the old building."

"What about your friends?" Mai asked.

"Sure, there's stories. Guys saying they saw someone standing outside a window. Hot and cold water switching in the toilets. Once a kid got locked in a lab room on the second floor. But never anything like...that." Sato-kun looked curiously from Yasu to Mai.

"Does that happen often to you guys?" He said, brows lowering.

"Uhh..." Mai stammered.

"Well..." John trailed off.

"Surprisingly..." Yasu agreed vaguely.

"Oh. I...see." Sato-kun said after a moment.

"Sato-kun, I wonder if you could bring some of the other students who have experienced things to the conference room after school tomorrow. I'd like to interview them." Naru asked, suddenly the picture of polite professionalism.

"Yeah. I don't see why not." Sato-kun agreed, standing easily. "I hate to run, but it's getting late."

It wasn't until she was laying down in the motel that night that she realized he hadn't had a book with him when he left.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Something was different about this dream.

 _She walked along the halls of the old school building, trailing a hand along the wall._

 _It was different, the paint seemed fresher. Sunlight streamed through the windows, and the low murmur of students echoed through the halls._

 _She was small, much smaller than the occasional student she passed._

 _She entered the library, peeking around the corner of the shelf to see if the coast was clear._

 _She was scared of the librarian._

 _He didn't like kids._

 _Daddy had warned him to stay out of her way._

 _Daddy_ _?_

Mai frowned at her journal, underlining the word 'Daddy' again.

The dream hadn't made any sense. Whoever's memory she had been re-living had obviously been a child too young to have attended the Academy.

"That a gift from your boyfriend?" Sato-Kun asked as he leaned against the doorway.

Startled, Mai looked up, "Huh? What? Boyfriend?"

She realized she had been unconsciously playing with her medallion again. "Uh, no. I mean, it was a gift from Naru, Uh..my boss...that is...we all have them." She ended lamely, hanging her head in mortification.

She could not sound more ridiculous if she tried.

"So, you aren't dating the jealous guy?" Sato-Kun said, taking a seat.

"Jealous?" Mai asked in surprise.

He wasn't talking about Naru, was he?

"The carrying thing?" She asked, cringing again as she remembered Naru's antics yesterday.

She doubted Naru even understood the concept of petty emotions like jealousy, at least in regards to himself.

"Gonna be honest, I read that as jealous." Sato-kun said with a laugh.

"He can be a little overprotective." She allowed. "But it's because he really feels a sense of responsibility for his team."

"Huh." Was all Sato-kun said, watching her in amusement.

"So why are you out here by yourself, then?" He asked, changing the subject.

She blushed. "Uh...well. It seems none of your classmates are..."

"Willing to admit to being scared of something in front of a girl?" Sato asked, dark humor dancing in his green eyes.

"Yeah." She admittedly wryly.

"So, any luck with the binder?" He asked.

"So far, it's just a lot of prior faculty." She hedged, unsure of just how much of their investigation to reveal.

Not that they'd gotten very far.

After the incident in the library the night before, things had quieted down. Eventually they'd left for their hotel for the night.

Even her dream hadn't been much help.

He picked up the picture she'd been using for her bookmark in her journal.

"Hey, you know Norio?" He asked, flipping the picture towards her. "And is that Masako Hara?"

"Yes, and Yes." She said, impressed. "Norio is actually named Houshou Takigawa. He was raised as a Monk prior to becoming a bassist. He's pretty powerful. And I'm sure you've seen Masako's show. They both consult with SPR regularly."

He whistled. "And the blond's a Priest, and your boss, who looks like a college kid himself, runs this whole thing. Is your whole team made up of celebrities and prodigies?"

"Well..." She paused, "Actually, except for me, they kind of are. Yasu's too smart for his own good, Ayako's a Doctor. Lin's an Onmyoji. I'm basically the ordinary one."

"Somehow I doubt that." Sato-kun said with a mega-watt grin and she had to turn away to hide her blush.

Naturally, that was when Naru yelled-

"Mai! Tea!"


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: Oooohh, I am having so much fun with this.**

 **Sorry for the cliffie...**

 **As always,**

 **Not My Sandbox!**

 **And thank you to everyone who takes the time to review. It means a lot to me as an author. This story has great momentum so far and I feel that the reviews make it possible.**

 **Where The Light Enters**

 **"** **Things Best Left Unsaid** "

"Tonight, after everyone has left the school, this book will move across the table."

Mai listened tiredly as Naru gave the last batch of boys the subliminal message. This experiment had a large pool of potentials, so they had picked four different "targets", one for each group. All the items would be in different rooms of the older building.

If any of the target objects moved, it would narrow down the field of potential suspects.

Mai didn't think it would pan out, however. The activity had been ongoing for several years, too long for it to be the work of any one student. Plus, the shelving when she touched it hadn't felt warm.

Yasu wasn't having any luck with research, either. He'd already gone back more than fifteen years without finding any unusual deaths related to the school. He hadn't given up, but it was slow going.

Lost in her own thoughts, she nearly ran into Aihara-San as she left the main office for their base. She quickly apologized, but the man simply scowled at her before stalking off.

Shrugging, she entered the conference room.

"It seems a storm front is moving in." John said, leaning against the wall as he fiddled with a small weather radio.

"Is it supposed to be bad?" Mai asked warily.

"There's a chance for a lot of lightning. Heavy winds. Might cause some interference with the equipment, according to Lin." John said.

Mai frowned. The last thing they needed was for their equipment to go down.

Naru walked up to them. "That was the last test group. Let's go over to the old building and set up the targets."

"Will the school be okay with us boarding up the doors?" She asked as they walked.

"We won't need to. Each target will be in a room with a camera. Since the doors also lock electronically, we'll place one last camera in the lobby and that should be sufficient to prove whether or not there was outside interference." He informed her.

"I think it's a waste of time." She admitted, cringing as she waited for whatever sarcastic reply he was bound to come up with.

But to her surprise, he agreed with her. "I think you're right. However, with this many teenagers around, it would be remiss not to rule it out definitively.

She nodded in comprehension.

This was to preserve the integrity of whatever else their investigation found later.

She was starting to understand Naru's decisions a little better.

"We'll all stay at base tonight. I don't want a repeat of last night's accident, and we can watch the targets from the monitors." Naru decided.

She shrugged. She had homework anyway. She could do it just as easily at base as the hotel.

Three hours later, she idly watched the storm roll in. Things were quiet. They'd set up two cots in the conference room and John and Yasu had taken the first turn at sleeping for a few hours. Mai was sitting at the table with her books splayed out, bored out of her mind.

She thought about going next door to the security room to watch the monitors with Naru and Lin, but she honestly wasn't sure she wanted to spend any more time with the Onmyoji than she had to.

A loud crack of thunder startled her, strong enough to rattle the glass in the window panes. John woke too, jerking upright on the cot where he had been sleeping.

The lights flickered for a moment, then the room went dark. She reached for the flashlight Naru had given her earlier.

"Mai?" John asked quietly.

She could hear him standing up, his figure a dark silhouette with the storm lit windows as a background.

"The storm took out the power." She replied softly.

"What's going on?" Yasu grumbled in a sleepy voice.

He didn't wake up well, she hd learned over the years.

"Power's out." Naru said from the doorway, startling the three of them.

"I might be able to throw the breaker?" John offered. "I saw the box when we were setting up cameras earlier, it looked similar to the one they had at the seminary I attended."

"May as well help..." Yasu muttered, stretching. "I used to help the janitor at my old school."

"I'll come along. Mai, go in with Lin while we're gone." Naru ordered.

They were gone by the time she had even opened her mouth to argue, and she sighed.

She knew Naru often paired her up with Lin if he thought there was danger, because he felt the Onmyoji was the best one to protect her if something happened. But either he didn't realize (or simply refused to acknowledge) that it only made the silent man resent her more.

Still, the three of them together should be fine, and surely she and Lin were professional enough to handle being together for a few moments.

At least, she hoped...

She entered the room quietly, surprised to see the monitors still glowing.

"They have power still?" She queried, coming to stand behind him.

"They're tied into the same back up generator the security system is, so the black out didn't affect them." Lin explained neutrally.

"So, what's wrong with that one?" She asked, pointing to the monitor that had suddenly gone dark.

Lin frowned, the expression barely visible in the shadowy room.

"I don't know." He admitted, quickly typing a series of commands into the computer, but the screen stubbornly remained dark.

"It's an issue with the camera itself." Lin said, standing.

Looking at a chart beside him, he said "It's one of the ground floor labs that we placed one of the target books in. Naru's experiment will be ruined if it doesn't get back online. Stay here." He ordered curtly, turning to walk out of the room.

"No way!" Mai cried, sprinting after him. "Naru said to stay with you!"

Whether you like it or not.

"Fine. Don't get lost." Lin said with an agitated sigh.

"Naru?" He spoke into his portable radio as they walked, but all he got was static.

"The storm must be interfering with these too." He said grimly.

They walked down the hall quickly towards the door to the old building. Mai had to take two steps to every one of his to keep up.

Suddenly, Mai gasped, clutching Lin's hand without thinking.

"I saw someone!" She hissed, pointing at the window in the door they were about to exit.

"A man? Woman?" Lin asked, pausing to survey the area.

She shook her head. "Just a shadow. I mean, a person's shadow, but..."

"Stay close." He ordered again as he pushed the outside door open.

Outside, the storm raged, lightning dancing across the sky like static across an old tv. The wind whipped Mai's hair into her face, already wet with rain the overhang was doing little to shelter them from.

The storm was like a living thing.

And it was angry.

The door across the way banged open in the wind, the sound lost in the frenzy.

"Is that supposed to be open?" Mai had to shout to be heard over the howl of the storm.

Lin shook his head grimly, and they made a mad dash for the door, pulling it closed behind them. Ran had puddled inside the building's foyer, and Mai slipped, going down to one knee, grimacing at the sting.

"Careful." Lin warned and she rolled her eyes, standing to look around warily.

"Did the power loss leave the doors unlocked also?" She asked, voice echoing eerily in the sudden hush. She hadn't realized just how loud the storm had been until the door had closed between them and the elements.

Lin's lips thinned. "They shouldn't have. These doors should be on the same system as the security systems."

He walked over to where their own camera lay on its side, obviously damaged by the store.

Or something else.

"Hello?" Mai tried her radio again, but got only static as a reply. "Damn."

"Let's get to the lab and reset the camera there. The sooner we're done here, the sooner we can get back to base." Lin decided.

"And get dry." Mai added with a shiver.

She couldn't tell if she was cold for unnatural reasons, or simply because-

"Achoo!"

She was soaked.

She wrapped her arms around herself as she followed Lin down the hall.

At least their flashlights still worked.

The reached the lab without incident, and Lin went straight to the camera.

"It's been switched off, that's all..." He said in confusion.

Mai was looking at the target, a science book still inside its chalk circle.

Not a poltergeist, then.

Suddenly, the door behind them slammed shut, hard enough that Mai felt the echo.

"Lin?" Mai breathed, a shudder working down her spine.

He was already at the door, twisting the knob with all his might. He shoved his shoulder into it next, but it still didn't budge.

"It's no use." He said, shaking it one more time for good measure. "It's either locked or jammed. And it opens out, so I can't get to the hinges."

"Wha-what do we do?" Mai asked, her teeth starting to chatter.

She didn't scare as easily as she used to, but this was definitely spooking her.

Lin looked at her sharply. "Calm down, Mai. My shiki can't find anything. Are you sensing anything?"

Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes.

Slowing her breathing, she...reached out.

"No." She said finally. "This place...something about this building is weird, to me. But I don't sense any spirits."

Right now, anyway.

But unease still coursed through her, though she couldn't pin point the source.

"Let's try the window." She said, walking over to the far wall.

Outside the storm still raged, lightning lighting up the sky in beautiful, jagged arcs.

Try as she might, she could only get the window up about three inches. Water pooled on the sill, damp, cool air flowing across her knuckles.

"Relax, Mai. Noll and the others will come soon enough. He'll notice the same dead monitor I did and they'll get us out."

She knew Lin was right.

But she was still uneasy.

Lin settled door on the ground by the door, and silence overtook them.

She found herself suddenly remembering the time she'd been trapped in the sewer with Naru. He'd done a simple parlor trick, to try and take her mind off her fear.

It had worked, though not for the reason he'd probably intended.

She had simply been captivated by the sight of a playful Naru.

She'd been captivated by the idea that he not only had a side like that, but would share it with her.

Some people said they fell in love.

She sometimes felt like perhaps she had landed in it.

She stayed staring out the window, the storm a welcome distraction from the room's uncomfortable silence.

She opened her mouth to say something, but then closed it wordlessly.

What was the use?

"What is it Mai?" Lin said.

She looked over her shoulder in amusement.

"You sound just like him sometimes, you know? Naru, I mean. Though technically you're older, so I guess that means he sounds like you." She fell into silence once more.

"I've been his guardian for a long time." Lin said lowly, surprising her.

She froze, not even daring to breath hard for fear the normally taciturn man would lapse back into silence.

"They weren't even teens yet when I met them. Gene was already a charmer when he set his mind to it, but Noll was something else all together. He wouldn't say a would to me unless it was an insult." Lin admitted.

She smiled softly, placing her palm against the window. She splayed her fingers, watching as her body heat created a tracery of condensation around her hand.

The room seemed warmer now...

"You love him." She said simply.

"Yes." Lin admitted it easily, without embarrassment.

She supposed an Onmyoji would have had to master their own emotions in order to be effective.

And Lin was certainly brave.

"But that's no excuse for how I've been treating you." He said, and she stilled.

Suddenly, she felt exhausted.

"No. It isn't an excuse. But it's understandable. Bad things tend to happen to the people around me." She admitted lowly, her breath ghosting across the glass.

"I was supposed to accompany Gene to Japan." Lin said suddenly, and her heart lurched.

"Oh, Lin..." She whispered.

 _There it was._

The sticking point.

The part of Lin that had gotten twisted up in the same tragic set of events as the twins and even herself.

A wound that hadn't healed, couldn't heal.

"That's a lot of guilt over something you couldn't possibly have foreseen." She said.

"Their parents were worried about him traveling overseas alone. But I had a family

obligation come up at the last minute. Gene went on ahead. The night he was killed, I was already on a plane to come to Japan. I went ahead to the Shrine we were supposed to rendezvous at, but he never came. Two days later, Luella called in tears to inform me that Noll was on his way." The words were harsh with a blame she knew was turned inwards.

"And Gene was dead." She finished softly.

"And Gene was dead. We started SPR, and a few weeks later, we came to your school." He finished, the words a slow whisper.

Naru and Lin.

They'd lost Gene, and each one carried the guilt.

They really were a lot alike.

"I'm so sorry, Lin." It seemed empty, an empty phrase. It fixed nothing, soothed nothing. It didn't fill the gaping wound Gene had left, or assuage the guilt he felt for not being there.

Lin said nothing in return, and she laid her forehead against the coolness of the glass.

Her head felt so heavy.

" ** _Mai_**..."

She jerked suddenly, blinking as she jerked away from where she had been slumping against the window.

"Gene?" She asked in confusion.

Had she fallen asleep standing up?

Why couldn't she get a deep breath?

"Lin?" She turned, stumbling a second time.

Adrenaline shot through her at the sight of Lin, slumped to the ground.

The air...

Something was wrong with the air, she realized, panic momentarily giving her strength against her fatigue.

"Help! Help!" She yelled as loudly as she could, falling beside Lin.

She shook him as hard as she could, but he didn't wake.

Her eyes were blurring. It seemed harder to breath over here.

"The window..." she mumbled to herself.

She'd been next to the window, where there had been fresh air still coming in.

She needed to get Lin to the window.

But if she had thought Yasu had been heavy, it was nothing compared to Lin.

Her world narrowed, without energy or breath to waste on anything but dragging Lin's lifeless body to the window. Her limbs weighed a thousand pounds, the air around her a concrete slurry she was swimming through.

Too slow...

"Naru?" She called again, half-heartedly.

She was tired.

She ran into the wall before she had the presence of mind to realize she'd met her goal. Her fingers were curled so tightly around Lin's jacket she had trouble making them open again.

"I need...to break the glass..." She said, to Lin or perhaps herself...

She was sure anymore...

She was tired...

Naru...

She thought she heard yelling from above her...

"Help.." She called weakly.

When had she sat down?

Sitting was bad...

She needed to get back up...

She needed...

" _Something's different about these dreams." She murmured to Gene as they walked down the hallway._

 _"_ _I know. But I can't tell what." Gene admitted, a troubled look on his face._

 _"_ _Is it because of the medallion Naru gave?" She hazarded a guess, but Gene shook his head._

 _"_ _No. It can't be. Because these dreams aren't coming from an outside influence at all, Mai." He looked at her in confusion, worry evident in his eyes._

 _"_ _What do you mean?" Mai asked, as they came to a halt in front of a classroom._

 _The doorway seemed familiar, like she had been there just moments before..._

 _"_ _I mean, it's almost like these really are YOUR memories, Mai. They're coming from inside your mind." Gene explained._

 _"_ _That's impossible. I've never BEEN here before!" She cried._

 _At least, she didn't think so._

 _She was forgetting something..._

 _Just then, a teenage boy ran out of the classroom, knocking her into Gene. He caught her before she fell. She stared at the boy in shock as he ran down the hall, furious tears streaming down his face._

 _That boy was important._

 _Why did she know that?_

 _"_ _Gene?" She whispered._

 _"_ _You need to see." He replied grimly, taking her hand._

 _Steeling herself, she turned and they walked slowly into the classroom._

 _A man sat slumped at a desk at the front of the classroom, his head cradled in one hand. With a sigh, he dropped his hand and she stepped back in shock._

 _"_ _Lin?" She said in shock, dropping Gene's hand to walk closer to the desk._

 _He didn't appear to hear her though._

 _Suddenly, in a fit of anger, he pushed the papers off his desk. They floated down lazily, a striking contrast to the man's troubled aura._

 _"_ _Damn it, Takeru..." He muttered._

 _Looking closer, however, she could see that though the man did, in fact, bare a striking resemblance to the Onmyoji, there were subtle differences..._

 _Besides which, Lin was back at the lab..._

 _Lab?_

 _"_ _The air is bad..." she whispered, eyes widening in fear as her true memories rushed over her._

 _She turned to look back at Gene._

" ** _Am I dead?_** "


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: **Okay, here is where I bend canon just a little. Read in the spirit of fan fiction fun, okay? Thanks for all the reviews!**

 **As always...**

 **Not**

 **My**

 **Sandbox!**

 **Where The Light Enters**

 **"** **Things Best Faced By Daylight** "

" _Why isn't she waking up? I thought the Doctor had said she received less exposure?"_

 _"_ _She was exerting her. She spent less time next to the leak, but she ended up breathing it in deeper..."_

 _"_ _Lin hasn't woken up either..."_

 _"_ _Hush, Naru's coming..."_

Naru?

She blinked blearily, the bright lights shooting sparks of pain through her brain.

"Yasu, dim the lights." She heard Naru say.

The room darkened a little, and she relaxed thankfully.

"So..." She whispered. "Not dead."

"Nope. Not dead, Jou-chan. And neither is Lin, thanks to you." Bou-San said with a smile from beside her bed.

She looked around in confusion.

Yasu, Masako, Bou-San and Naru were all crowded into the room with her.

The hospital?

"Ayako and John are sitting with Lin." Masako said.

"Why..." She licked her dry lips and tried again. "Bou-San, what about your gig?"

"Well, I couldn't really imagine partying it up in Hokkaido while my favorite girl was in the hospital." The monk ruffled her hair fondly, and Mai felt tears well up.

"And Ayako claimed the resort had horrible room service." Yasu added with a smile.

Mai laughed, starting to feel a little more grounded.

"How's Lin?" She asked, glad to notice her voice sounded a little stronger.

"He'll pull through. He hasn't woke up yet, but the Doctors say you got out just in time." This time it was Naru who spoke from his post from the door.

She frowned. "How did we get out?"

She was pretty sure she'd been down for the count...

"Uh...That was me, I guess.." Sato-kun said from the doorway. One arm was wrapped heavily in bandages.

Her eyes widened. "Sato-kun?"

"I didn't have anything to break the glass with, so I kinda...used my fist." He finished in a self deprecating tone. "Apparently it's more painful than the movies make it out to be."

"You...saved us." Mai said, tasting the words as she said them, testing them out.

Something was niggling at the back of her subconscious...

"Apparently, he needed another book." Naru said dryly, and her gaze shot to his.

Their eyes locked for a long moment, then she turned back to the others.

"What was wrong with the air?" She asked belatedly.

"Gas leak. No one can determine the cause." Yasu said grimly.

"How long...?" She coughed, her throat feeling dry and Masako handed her a glass of water from the bedside table.

"You've been out for about three hours." Naru said.

"Long enough for Ayako to get you a private room." Yasu added with a waggle of his eyebrows.

"Lin will probably sleep through until morning." A new voice said from the doorway, as Sato-kun shuffled over to make room for Ayako. Her small room was getting crowded, but it felt nice.

Safe.

"But he's?-"

"Perfectly fine, as well." Ayako said, beaming her pen light into Mai's eyes. Satisfied with the results, she took her pulse before picking up her chart, quickly rifling through the pages.

"Well, not to shabby." She murmured finally. Turning to Mai, she said "You should go ahead and go back to sleep, however. The rest of the team should head to the hotel."

"Wait!" Mai said, sitting up straighter. "Before you leave, Sato-kun, I wondered if I could speak to you...alone?"

She had never realized that silence could have weight.

Six pairs of eyes were trained on her, and she wanted to pull the blanket up higher suddenly.

Then Ayako chuckled. Leaning forward, she whispered "Good girl. Give that jerk boss of yours something to worry about. He's cute, too."

Mai flushed beet red as she shoved a laughing Ayako away.

Yasu and Masako traded amuses looks with each other before they too, headed out the door.

Bou-San stood, putting his full height to good use as he smiled genially at Sato.

While simultaneously cracking his knuckles.

"Go!" Mai ordered with another laugh.

She obviously was to be left with zero dignity.

Naru was the last to leave, pinning her with his eyes. A million unspoken things seemed to hover between them for a moment before he looked away, the spell broken as he left the room.

"And he's definitely not your boyfriend?" Sato said with an awkward smile.

"Hmm." Mai agreed, marshaling her strength for the conversation she was about to have.

"Sato-kun, you have my deepest thanks for tonight." She began. "Lin and Inwould have died back there."

"You don't have to thank me. I get the feeling you would do the same for me." He brushed her gratitude away.

"Yes. We're a lot more alike than I originally thought." She agreed, staring up at him through her eyelashes.

He really was a good looking kid.

"Which is why we should cut the crap, already. Don't you think?" She asked suddenly.

You could have heard a pin drop in the silent room.

"I know what you are." She said softly.

"How long have you been able to see the ghost?"

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Once he got past his initial reticence, Sato's story came out in a flurry of words, practically spilling out of the boy.

Mai got the impression he'd been waiting for a long time for someone to ask the right questions.

Sato was a psychic.

But unlike her post-cognitive abilities, Sato could get glimpses of the future.

And he'd spent the last three years watching the ghost try and communicate with various people to no avail.

"I thought I was nuts. And then I saw you in the lobby of the old building. And the look on your face... I recognized it. And I thought..." Sato trailed off.

"That you weren't alone anymore." She finished. "That's how you keep ending up in the right time at the right place."

"My visions are always pretty current. Maybe only a hour or two's notice before the events in them take place." Sato admitted.

She bit her lip, thinking about how hard it must have been for someone like Sato to try and keep a secret like that while attending a haunted school.

"What do you know about Takeru?" She asked.

"Takeru? That's his name? I've seen him around, watched him make mischief. But I've never been able to communicate with him, and trying just seemed to make it worse." The boy said, hanging his head.

"You're part of the escalation..." She realized.

"Probably. I never meant to. I wanted to help. But I swear, it's never been like this before. He's never been violent like this. It's like he's a whole other person suddenly." Sato said, running his hands through his hair.

She sighed. She'd taken this as far as she could on her own.

"Naru!" She called, not bothering to raise her voice. "Did you get all that?"

"Yes. It seems we have a name to focus on in our investigation, now." Naru said as he walked into the room.

Sato's jaw dropped as he looked between the two of them. "You were listening the whole time?"

"Obviously." Naru said with a raised brow.

Afterwards, Naru stood at her window as she sand tiredly into the pillows.

"How did you know I'd be listening?" He asked, voice carefully idle.

She wasn't fooled, however. The same tension danced along the lines of his silhouette as earlier, when he'd guarded her hospital room like a dragon hoarding gold.

She thought about Lin's earlier confession.

Having both her and Lin injured must be eating at him.

She smiled crookedly. "I just knew there was a zero-percent chance you'd leave me alone in a room with a possible suspect, short of Ayako using chloroform on you..."

He snorted. "She very well might have, if she'd caught me."

He smiled at her then, the expression softening his face and her breath caught. Her heart picked up a crazy, uneven rhythm.

Still, it was strange to her that she had ever confused Gene with Naru, no matter that the rest of the world considered them identical.

This smile was one hundred percent Naru, both soft and a little jagged. This smile wasn't given freely or easily.

A rainbow after a hurricane.

Gene had been beautiful too, of course. But though his smile had shocked and flattered her, it hadn't ripped a hole inside her the way Naru's could.

She swallowed. "Naru, I need to tell you about my dream..."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Stay put!" Ayako cautioned as she picked up her purse. "We're going to pick up Lin and then we'll be right back. Honestly, why they couldn't be bothered to release the two of you at the same time..."

Mai could hear her muttering as she walked down the hall.

"She's something else." Sato said, wide-eyed.

"You don't know the half of it." Mai said with a grin.

Sato was keeping her company while the others walked the school in pairs, checking and resetting the various equipment.

Due to the gas leak, Sena-San had decided the most prudent course of action was to close the school for the next day or two.

"Sato! Students were not supposed to come in today!" Aihara's voice from the door startled them.

Sato stood quickly, opening his mouth to reply when Mai stood, walking over to the older man.

"I apologize, Aihara-San. I had thought Director Sena had informed you that Sato-Kun was assisting us with the rest of our investigation." She said smoothly, using the same voice she had used for years on angry customers.

Aihara frowned. "Assist? Don't be ridiculous!"

She shrugged. "I'm sorry, but the arrangements were made directly between the Director and my boss. Perhaps you'd like to call Sena-San yourself?" She held out her phone helpfully.

He glowered at her. "That won't be necessary."

"As you wish." She bowed politely as he stalked off.

Sato whistled. "That was smooth."

She smirked. "I lived on my own all through high school. I had to figure out fast how to deal with people who didn't like kids."

Which made teaching a strange choice for Aihara...

Suddenly they heard a yell from down the hall.

Their eyes met.

"Aihara!"

They dashed out of the room, almost immediately sliding as they encountered a large puddle of water spreading across the hallway floor.

"Takeru?" Mai said with a a wide eyed glance at Sato.

He nodded. "He must have flooded the toilet up here again."

"I thought he primarily stuck to the old building." She asked as they carefully made their way over to there the assistant director had fallen.

"He does. Something's made him mad." Sato agreed as they reached the fallen man.

"What is this?" Aihara blustered, pinwheeling his arms angrily as he struggled to his feet.

"The spirit." Mai said, looking around quickly.

Her senses were warning her.

"Don't be ridicoulius!" Aihara snapped.

Just then, every door in the hallway suddenly slid open, before slamming shut again.

Then it happened again, faster.

And again...

In less than a moment, the hallway was filled with the sound of slamming doors, the echoes enough to have the three of them covering their ears against the din.

The lights began flickering before each one began blowing out.

Footsteps echoed down the hall from each end.

Mai knew activity this strong was likely leading up to something worse.

Suddenly, the last of the lights went out, plunging the hallway into shadow, only the muted light from the classroom windows trickling in.

Papers flew about, like drunken sparrows. Her hair kept flying into her eyes.

"Taniyama-San..." Sato said suddenly, gripping her arm. She faced where he was pointing.

A misty figure was slowly starting to form in front of them.

She was shaking in the sudden cold.

This Spirit was angry...

The form started to solidify, its shape becoming more pronounced. She could feel waves of resentment coming off of the Spirit.

She raised two fingers. She hated to hurt anything, even a spirit, but if it attacked, she would have no choice...

"Get back!" She warned, stepping in front of Sato.

"What are you doing?" He hissed, trying to pull her back, but she shook him off.

"Takeru, this is your last warning!" She shouted, hoping against hope that the spirit would heed her words.

"Takeru?" She heard Aihara sputter behind her.

The Spirit rushed them.

" ** _Rin-Pyou-Tou-Sha-Kai-Jin-Retsu-Zai-Zen_**!" She _felt_ the power behind her words as she traced the Cuts in the air, , surprising herself as much as the Spirit.

It had been years since she'd last used the Chant, but it came easily, almost too easily, she thought as the spirit was blasted away from them.

A keening wail echoed through the hall on an icy blast of wind.

Everything stilled, shocking in its silence.

She raised her fingers again, in case she needed to use the protective ward Monk had taught her, but she swayed suddenly, falling to her knees in the water.

The world danced for a moment, a carousel of shadows, and she closed her eyes.

She hated this.

"Taniyama-San!" Sato cried, crouching down beside her.

"I'm...okay." She said, catching her breath.

Ayako had warned her not to push herself physically.

She hadn't realized how much more of a drain on her it would be now. That incantation had been at least twice as strong as when she had last used it.

But it had pushed her past her limit, for the moment anyway.

She had hurt that Spirit. Even if it had tried to harm her and Lin.

"So, you're kind of a bad ass." Sato said as he helped her to her feet.

"If she used that on you, you'd be in the hospital, if not worse." Naru said from behind them.

"Oh...hi boss." Mai said shakily, still swaying a little.

"I see you're taking it easy." He said with a tilt of his brow as he looked her over.

She shrugged. "Well, you know. A girl can only get rescued so many times before she has to kick a little ghost butt..."

Her hands were still shaking.

He walked closer, grasping her chin and forcing her to look him in the eye. She could feel the heat of his body, and she leaned into it subconsciously. Realizing what she was doing, she straightened, trying to pull out of his grasp. His fingers tightened instead, however.

Not hard enough to bruise, just enough that she couldn't turn away, couldn't hide from his knowing gaze.

Why could he never be content to just have part of her?

"Then why are you crying?" He said softly, when she finally met his eyes. Releasing her chin, he carefully pushed her bangs out of her face.

She sniffed, wiping away the tears she hadn't realized had escaped.

"Because he was a person, once." She admitted. "He was just a kid. Something hurt him. And now I did too."

"Then lets help him." Naru said, gracefully shrugging out of his jacket.

Draping it over her shoulders, he started leading her back to base, Sato trailing behind.

"You're crazy, all of you..." Aihara accused, striding away from them.

She paused, frowning as she looked at him over her shoulder.

Naru scowled. "We need to talk to Sena-San. Someone isn't being honest with us."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

She huddled down inside of the old hoodie Bou-San had given her years ago, thankful that Yasu had been able to bring her a change of clothes.

Now she sat tiredly at the conference room table next to Naru. Sato was on her other side, and the others ranged around the room.

Even Lin had been released, and if she looked half as bad as he did, no wonder Ayako had told her to take it easy.

Dark smudges puddles under his eyes, and he was even paler than normal. He had smiled at her though, if only for a second.

It was a start.

She turned her attention back to the director.

Sena-San sighed deeply. "And you are quite sure the Ghost is Takeru?"

Naru frowned. "While it's true we can't be certain, we feel it's the most likely possibility.

However, we haven't been able to locate any records of a "Takeru". Care to explain?"

"I was afraid of this." Sena admitted.

"Then why hide it in the first place?" Bou-San asked.

"A part of My was afraid of ruining your objectivity with my own theories. However, I think the greater part of me was simply hoping such a dark chapter of the Academy's history could stay in the past. That poor boy..." Sena went silent.

"Please tell us." Masako asked calmly.

"It was my first year as Director here. Nearly thirty-four years ago. That's part of the reason you haven't had any luck with records. The other reason is that a lot of money was spent to keep the incident quiet.

The Academy has always been well known for its sports team and academics. We have students from very prominent families. Business leaders, politicians, even..."

"Yakuza?" Bou-San guessed when the man paused.

"Yes. That too. But I always felt those students deserved an education as well, so we tend to overlook the family's...eccentricities." Sena admitted.

"For the right price." Naru stated.

Sena nodded. "That year, a sixteen year old boy named Takeru Kataoka hung himself in the bathroom in the old building. He was discovered, but not quickly enough, unfortunately. His family was one of those 'eccentric' ones we mentioned earlier. They did not want the stigma of a suicide attached to their family name, so the payed the coroner to mark his death as an accident, and had the records alter to say he died in a traffic accident.

Shortly after, the rumor mill began to flourish. Students were whispering stories about Takeru, the deceased boy. They said there were rumors that he had been...well, mistreated by a staff member."

Naru's frown deepened. "Two of my team members nearly died last night sir. I would appreciate some clarity in your statements."

Sena sighed. "Very well. They were saying that Takeru had claimed to have been abused sexually by a staff member. That the shame of it had led him to suicide. With a family like his, It was an entirely plausible scenario, I'm afraid. However, when Aihara, who was a teacher then also, can to the board with his own concerns, it could no longer be overlooked. The boy's cousin also attended this Academy, and by then, Takeru's Family had also learned of the rumors.

They demanded blood, so to speak. And the whole thing turned into what I can only describe as a witchhunt."

"What do you mean?" Mai asked, her stomach suddenly a ball of nerves. She could feel something, a memory or some other knowledge, dancing on the edge of her consciousness.

"Rumors emerged that several students had seen Takeru emerge crying from a Literature classroom only a few days before his death. The teacher, Toshio Ando, has taken Takeru under his wing, so to speak. He'd spend extra time tutoring the boy, acting as a mentor of sorts."

"And Ando was the one the Family accused?" Naru guessed.

Sena nodded. "It didn't help that Ando was only three-fourths Japanese. At that time, there was a lot less...acceptance of that sort of thing in certain circles. Ando denied everything, of course. Even tried to use his son as a witness. I personally believed him. Ando was an exceptional teacher. But in the end, the board turned on him, desperate to appease the family and to quiet the incident once and for all. He was fired, stripped of his teaching credentials. His reputation was utterly destroyed."

"You said...he tried to use his son as a witness?" Mai asked faintly.

Sena nodded. "That just made the whole thing more tragic. His son was only seven or eight at the time, I believe. The boy had a mental issue of some sort. Nowadays, I believe we would refer to him as autistic. The child's mother had died a few years before, so Ando had him walk to the Academy after his own lessons to wait while he finished up his work. But without being able to speak, the child couldn't help his father prove his innocence."

"What happened to him?" Lin asked harshly, and Mai's eyes flew to his.

He looked as stricken as she did.

She felt faint...

"Ando ended up having to take work as a common laborer. Without a means to care for his son, he was forced to take him to an orphanage. I believe he located one where many of the children were also of foreign descent. I suppose he hoped the boy would be better accepted there. It ended in tragedy anyway, from what I heard. The child went missing less than a year later, and then shortly after..Ando...died...in a construction...accident"

Sena's words grew fainter and fainter as the rushing in her ears gained strength. The room was spinning. She couldn't get a good breath...

"Come find me..."

"Mai, relax!" Dimly she could make out Naru's voice.

"Daddy!"

Slowly, the white noise began to recede. She realized she had pulled her knees up to her chest, and she relaxed her arms, letting them slide down again.

Everyone was watching her, and she met first Naru and then Lin's eyes.

Lin nodded.

She looked at Naru.

She could tell he'd already figured it out for himself, but she said it out loud anyway.

It deserved to be said.

"Kenji."

"Mary, Mother of God..." She heard John whisper


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: Holy crap guys. Two updates in one day. Actually though, this was already half written when I posted the first update earlier. But since I type on my iPhone and then copy and paste into Document Manager, I start getting REALLY nervous when any one chapter gets too long.**

 **So, A LOT of flirtationship going on at the end of this chapter. You are very welcome. Of course, happy endings don't come easily in GH, so I might have done a thing at the end...**

 **(Smiles in sadistic glee...)**

 **As always, Reviewers are amazing people who deserve the favor of the gods showered upon them.**

 **And I am typing on an IPhone. Think of the texter's thumb I developed writing this for you, my dearest readers...**

 **Now, don't you want to review? lol.**

 **This wraps up Lin's personal Redemption Arc. I will say, regarding the problems between Lin and Mai. I tried very hard to word Lin's side of the argument in a way that could be easily misunderstood. That is, Mai takes it to** **mean that Lin thinks she is dangerous to Naru (aka 'bad news'). But what if...he's just trying to tell her that she's too important to Naru to be so careless with her own safety?**

 **No one knows Naru better, after all. Mai doesn't seem to realize the power she holds over Naru, but Lin isn't the sort to get in someone else's personal business (unless an angry spirit is stirring the pot...)**

 **i personally think Lin ships Naru and Mai. He's just the only one with enough perspective to understand how quickly things could escalate in a bad situation.**

 **Next case will tackle Bou-San and Ayako.**

 **Enjoy!**

 **RavensGame**

 **As Always- Not My Sandbox!**

 **Where The Light Enters**

 **"** **Things Best Left Behind"**

Naru has insisted she lay down until it was time for the seance. She hadn't argued, physical and emotional exhaustion dragging at her.

" _So, the reason the dreams felt weird was because I was remembering the memories Kenji left with me when he finally passed on." Mai said to Gene._

 _What a tongue twister..._

 _They were in the Tea Shop. Mai was frankly too exhausted to travel, even in her dream state, according to Gene._

 _"_ _That's how it seemed. Because he couldn't speak, he left an echo of all his memories inside of you. Had you never come to this place, they probably would have slept quietly inside of you forever." Gene agreed._

 _"_ _That's three deaths tied to this place." Mai murmured. While indirect, both Kenji and Ando had died due to the circumstances around Takeru's suicide._

 _A twisted tale indeed._

 _"_ _Do you think he did it? Ando?" Mai asked, looking up at her Spirit Guide._

 _Naru wasn't sharing his thoughts. Perhaps the other brother would..._

 _Gene frowned. "I don't understand why Takeru would haunt the school if his victimizer had been punished. Or why he would continue to escalate."_

"Mai?" She blinking, looking into Yasu's face. "They're ready. It's time for the seance."

She nodded, wiping her eyes as she followed Yasu to the old building. Entering the student council room on the second floor, she heard-

"Sena-San, you can't mean to go along with this farce?" Aihara seemed angrier than the situation called for. She had seen fear breed reactions like that, however.

Still...

Why _would_ Takeru continue to escalate?

"I do, and you will also if you wish to inherit this Academy." Sena said, a newly found strength in his voice.

However reticent he might have been originally, he seemed committed to their course of action now.

Warily, she took her seat between Naru and Sato. The table would only fit so many, so Ayako, Monk and Yasu were standing in the back, behind her and Naru. Their talismans should prevent them from being possessed even without the protection of the circle.

Mai had offered to attempt to astral travel in attempt to communicate properly with Takeru, and possibly purify him.

Naru had deemed her too exhausted for the endeavor. Plus, with Masako here, there really wasn't a need for Mai to try.

Yasu lowered the lights, and everyone at the table took hands.

Already, the air in the room shimmered with a strange tension.

She was suddenly glad to be seated next to Naru, with Bou-San and Ayako comfortingly at her back.

"I'm calling today to the Spirit of Takeru Kataoka. Can you hear me, Takeru? Will you tell us what it is you want us to know..." Masako intoned, lowering her head.

Mai held her breath instinctively.

Masako seldom used such a formal version of her necromancy, but with the Spirit's strong abilities, no one wanted to take any chances.

Masako shuddered. "... ** _betrayed me_**." She muttered, the cadence of her voice suddenly altered, lower than her normal one.

The candles flame grew elongated.

"What did you say?" Naru asked calmly.

Masako raised her head, her entire posture different. " ** _You betrayed me. I told you...what was happening...you didn't believe me. I trusted you!"._**

She was looking directly at Lin.

Mai realized that Takeru must not understand that Lin wasn't actually Ando.

She knew Spirits didn't always comprehend the passage of time the same way people did.

Gene hadn't even realized three years had passed between his body being found, and Naru helping to reunite him and Mai.

"This man is not Toshio Ando. Toshio Ando has already died. He's passed on already." Naru continued on, unshaken. Mai knew he had often done this same service for Gene.

" ** _Why didn't you believe me_**?" Masako intoned plaintively, the ghost paying Maru no heed.

The pain in the Spirit's words was enough to have Mai's own throat tightening in sympathy.

She had _attacked_ this boy. Self-defense or not, she had repaid pain with pain...

Naru glanced at Lin, nodding.

"I'm sorry, Takeru." Lin said slowly. "I should have listened. Will you tell me one last time? Who was it that hurt you?"

Everyone froze, staring at Masako with bated breath.

A shudder suddenly racked Mai's body, and Naru's grip on her hand tightened.

 _Something was wrong_...

Suddenly Aihara stood, the violence in the action enough to shove the table into Mai's stomach, and the circle broke.

Naru yanked her back towards him, already on his feet, backing away from the armed man.

"Enough of this! I know what you're doing!" Aihara cried wildly.

He was waving something in his hand.

 ** _A gun_**!

Yasu had caught Masako, cradling the confused woman in his arms. Losing contact with the spirit like that would have been incredibly disorienting, Mai knew.

Warily, the other team members stood, edging away from the Aihara, who stood blocking the door. Slowly they drifted, congregating against the far wall.

Mai was panting, fear making her knees shake.

She'd faced horrible, terrible things in her time as a ghost hunter. Spirits, monsters.

Angry Gods.

But somehow there was an awful _finality_ in staring down the barrel of that small handgun.

Naru still had her hand, and she found herself being dragged behind the taller man.

Instinctively, she gripped Naru's jacket, face pressed to his back. The familiar scent of tea was faint comfort to her with a gun pointed at her friends.

She didn't consider herself a coward, but what could any of them do against a gun?

"Get back! All of you!" Aihara had clearly come unhinged...

But why?

Bou-San and Yaso had likewise formed a wall of sorts between Masako and Ayako and Aihara.

She saw Sato edge closer to her and Naru.

Sena was standing in shock and mounting horror.

Taking a breath, she steeled her shoulders. She couldn't just use Naru as a human shield...

But his grip on her hand was iron as he angled himself between her and the gun. She could barely see around him, not that she truly wanted to. She was afraid to try and shake him off, lest she draw Aihara's attention...

"I know who you are!" Aihara yelled, pointing his gun at Lin. "I know what you're doing with your 'little seance'".

It was Aihara, she realized with cold certainty.

"You've all been working together to trick me! To make me admit what happened all those years ago!"

Aihara had been the one to abuse Takeru, and when he'd killed himself, he'd stoked the rumors blaming Ando.

With Aihara about to become the Academy's Director, no wonder Takeru's Spirit has started escalating...

"And you! I know you saw me! But it didn't matter, because you were just a simpleton who couldn't even talk! I heard you died back at that orphanage!" Aihara's voice was growing wilder.

He thinks Lin is Kenji, grown up and back for revenge...

"Why won't you just _die_? Even the gas didn't kill you!" Aihara screamed, and Mai winced in instinctive fear, face once again buried in Naru's jacket.

Aihara had created the gas leak and turned off the camera, trapping them in the lab...

"Aihara..." Sena's voice was shaken. "Ando was your _friend_...".

She swore she could feel Naru's power, dancing just below his skin, sparking between their hands. It was like a living thing, restless, beating against the cage of Naru's control.

"Please don't." She begged breathlessly, terrified Naru was going to try and use his PK to stop Aihara.

But what else could they do? No one else in the group had PK, or any power that would work against a gun...

Naru's hand on her's grew hotter, so hot it felt like getting a sunburn through a glass window.

She clutched his shoulder with her free hand, unsure of what else to do. He'd protected her many times, but somehow this was different. He was like a furnace, it was almost too hot to stand next to him.

"Just die!" Aihara screamed, firing the gun at Lin.

Mai and the others instinctively ducked, cries of fear and dismay echoing in the room.

The shot went wide, just grazing Lin's arm, and he lunged forward, grappling with the armed man.

The others all tensed, wanting to help, while trying not to get caught in the fray.

The gun went off a second time and Masako screamed.

Mai felt dizzy suddenly, like she had earlier in the hall, when she'd used the Nine Cuts...

The gun fell to the ground with a clatter and Bou-San lunged for it, sliding it over to where Yasu and Masako had crouched down behind a counter.

Yaso grabbed the gun, pointing it down awkwardly, while Bou-San and Sato ran forward to help Lin immobilize the still thrashing Aihara.

Mai sank to the ground, feeling shaky. Naru crouched before her protectively, breathing hard, Free hand clenched tightly shut, and she wondered if maybe his adrenaline was making it hard to control his own powers.

He was still holding her hand, and she squeezed back tentatively.

He blinked, seemingly coming back to himself.

"Mai?" He said, sounding just the tiniest bit...unsure.

"I'm fine, go to Lin." She said, gesturing to where Ayako was now wrapping a makeshift bandage around the taller man's arm.

He stayed where he was a moment longer, staring at her in something like...

What was that look?

Longing?

No, it was something else.

 _Don't think it..._

She watched as he went over to his friend, saying something lowly.

Her ears were still buzzing with the echo of the second shot.

The second shot...

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Hours later, she tossed and turned in her empty hotel room. Both Ayako and Masako had headed back to the city.

She had stayed behind to help the others pack up their gear after the police released the scene of the crime.

Naru had had the foresight to have a video camera record the seance, and the police had quickly arrested Aihara on multiple charges of attempted murder and assault with a deadly weapon.

The bright side was, in all the insanity, Takeru had been cleansed.

Masako said it was the sight of seeing Lin, who the spirit still believed to be Ando, fighting back against Aihara, added with the man's arrest.

He had simply wanted to be believed.

Once again she heard the echo of the gunshot in her mind, and she gave up trying to sleep.

Throwing on her clothes, she headed out the door, making sure she had her phone and keys.

Passing by Naru and Lin's door, she paused.

It was late, nearly midnight, and the possibility of them even realizing she was gone was slim.

It wasn't far to the convenience store down the road. She'd be back before anyone would even know she was gone...

Still, she hesitated.

She could just shoot Naru or even Yasu a text...

Rolling her eyes, she laughed at herself for making such a big deal out of nothing.

'Just tell him your taking a walk...' She scolded herself.

She knocked quietly at his door.

He was probably already asleep anyway...

But to her surprise, the door opened almost immediately.

Naru stood in the doorway, jacket off and shirt sleeves rolled neatly to his elbows, but otherwise he was still dressed.

"Oh." She stammered, surprised. "I actually thought you'd be asleep already..."

"What's wrong?" He asked quietly, looking quickly up and down the hall.

"Hmm? Oh, nothing. Just letting you know I was heading down to the convenience store. I shouldn't be long." She said with a blush, feeling stupid she'd bothered him over something so silly.

Still, she remembered Lin chastising her for making Naru worry all the time, so it was probably for the best...

He blinked. "Alright. Give me just a moment."

He turned, not even bothering to shut the door. She heard him murmur lowly to someone, Lin most likely, and then he was back, locking his door behind him.

"Naru.." She stammered, confused. "I didn't mean you needed to come with me, I was just letting you know I was leaving the hotel..."

He walked past her, heading down the hall, and she had to trot to catch up with him.

"It's late." Was all he said.

They finished the walk through the hotel in silence, coming out the door to the still summer air outside.

"It's nearly your birthday." Naru said, surprising her.

"Ahh, Yes, actually." She hadn't even realized it, but he was right.

"Is it safe to assume I will come in to find the office once again decorated with streamers and balloons?" He asked, and she chuckled, remembering their first year as a team.

Ayako and Bou-San has been horrified to realize they'd missed her birthday, especially since they had discovered by then that she had no family to celebrate with.

They'd thrown an impromptu party at the office that had Naru muttering darkly about confetti for weeks.

She laughed. "Don't worry. I'll tell them not to do it at the office."

"It's fine to have it there Mai. Just... no confetti." He added plaintively, and she laughed again.

Secretly, she thought he must have missed the chaos that had come with their SPR Family.

She picked out her drink quickly at the convenience store. The trip had really only been an excuse to work off the nervous energy from earlier anyway.

Naru insisted on paying when she got to the counter and she gave in, hoping he'd just write it off as work expenses.

"How's Lin?" She asked as they strolled back. The night was beautiful and she wasn't eager to return to the stillness of her room.

"Ayako says it's fine. Just a graze. The sling is just to keep him arm immobile until there's no danger of his stitches tearing." Naru said.

Suddenly, he pulled her to the other side of the sidewalk, effectively trading places with her.

"What was that for?" She asked in amusement.

"Didn't your father ever tell you that a lady walks on the inside of the sidewalk?" Naru asked with a playful smile.

 _Please don't smile at me like that..._

She shook her head, laughing. "Well, I _was_ three. So we mainly talked about kittens and tea parties."

He shrugged. "Maybe its just an English thing."

She looked at him curiously. "That the girl walks on the left side of the sidewalk?"

"On the inside." Naru corrected. "Furthest from the road."

"It was one of the first things I remember my Father teaching me, once we were in England. Granted, Gene and I had a long running argument over just which one of us constituted 'the girl." Naru admitted with a chuckle.

 _Please don't laugh like that..._

She shook her head. "No, I guess I never heard that. My Mom walked on the outside, but I always just assumed it was a 'Mom' thing."

She thought for a moment. "Actually, I guess Bou-San does walk on the outside. I just never noticed it before."

"A mark of good breeding." Naru acknowledged. "Gallantry is supposed to seem effortless."

"Oh, gallantry?" She laughed. "How much would it cost for me to get you to call Bou-San gallant to his face?"

"I don't pay you enough." Naru said with a straight face, and she broke into another peal of laughter.

This was the Naru from the sewer. The Naru she'd landed in love with, even if he'd never believed her.

 _You're making it so much harder to say what's I'm thinking..._

They grew silent as they closer to the hotel.

"Did you suspect Aihara?" She asked, thinking back over the day's events.

 _To voice what I'm really afraid of_...

He didn't answer for a moment. "Yes. But mostly because you did."

"Huh? What do you mean?" She'd been completely shocked by Aihara pulling the gun on them.

"You didn't know you were even doing it. But you were always watching him. He made you wary. With Takeru always causing a ruckus, and Kenji's memories to deal with, you never seemed to realize how much he bothered you, but I could see it in your body language." Naru said.

She stopped in her tracks, staring at him. " **Are you serious right now**?"

He stopped also, turning to face her. "I told you years ago, Mai. Your instincts guide you subconsciously away from danger when you let them. It would be foolish to have someone like you on the team and not pay attention to you."

Foolish.

She felt foolish.

No wonder he didn't mind hauling her around like equipment. He'd basically used her as a human lie detector...

Then he shocked her. "I never anticipated he would pull a gun, however. Not around so many witnesses. I wanted a chance to see his reactions when Masako channeled Takeru, But in the end, I Just endangered the whole team."

She could hear the chagrin in his voice, and instantly her annoyance melted away. She reached out, grabbing his hand instinctively.

"You had no reason to believe he would do something like that. A seance was the next logical step to try and communicate with Takeru. Are you mad at me for not being strong enough to astral travel? Because that was our only other option."

He didn't even have to reply, they both knew the answer was obvious.

"We hunt ghosts, Naru. Happy spirits don't become ghosts. Happy people don't become spirits unless something or someone bad happens to them. Something like this is inevitable. But we cleansed Takeru. Aihara is going to jail. Ando's name has been cleared..."

It was a funny sort of twisted, an ending to a case they had thought closed years ago.

And yet...

 _Just say it, Mai._

 _It's what you wanted to ask this whole time..._

She stared at their clasped hands.

"Naru...what happened to the second bullet?"

The police had been unable to recover it at the school.

He stilled, looking away from her for a moment. The he reached into his pocket with his free hand. Turning their clasped hands over, he let go, dropping something cool and heavy into her open palm.

"Lin hasn't even figured it out yet." He said, his gaze fathomless.

 _I changed my mind_...

She stared at the misshapen lump of metal.

The bullet had obviously been fired.

 _I don't want to know_...

There was only one way he could have it now.

"Lin's hopped up on pain meds right now..." She said softly.

Besides which...

She'd _**felt**_ it.

Felt Naru's power dancing between her and Naru's hands, felt his tension...

Seen the recognition in his eyes afterward.

" _Gene acted as a sort of amplifier for Noll. They'd pass a small spark of his power back and forth between the two of them until it was strong enough to do what Noll wanted without causing him physical harm"._

Madoka had been the one to explain it to her, years ago.

What Gene had been able to do for Naru.

 _I don't want to be Gene's replacement_...

She felt her heart sink.

This changed everything


	18. Chapter 18

A/ **N: Bam! Three new chapters coming up all in one night because I was paranoid about getting the foreshadowing wrong. So I've wrote over 14k words in the last thirty hours or so.**

 **Here's the start of the new case. I will say two things-**

 **First- If my characters start to seem a little OOC, sorry not sorry. I set this story three years in the future to try and explore how these characters might grow and change. Therefore, at some** **point, they have to start changing. I'm no longer trying to match canon anime exactly. I'm trying to reasonably guess who these characters might have become.**

 **Second- I very seldom bother with trigger warnings because this anime was pretty bloody to begin with. But every once in a while, I write something dark enough it freaks even me out a little. I actually consider that an achievement as a writer. But to be safe, this case has trigger warnings for violence and the deaths of**

 **multiple children..**

 **So, this chapter and the next two are all one case, and being posted tonight. If you get an alert for this chapter, the next two will be up momentarily.**

 **All three chapters share the same title, and this is my only A/N for all three.**

 **"** **Where The Light Enters"**

 **"** **The Honesty of Scars** "

Mai glanced guiltily down at her phone before shoving it back into her school bag. She had calls or texts or emails from practically every member of the team staring at her accusingly every time she glanced at the display.

Even Lin had left a message requesting she come by the office soon, and if that wasn't a sign of the apocalypse, she wasn't sure what was.

Under the guise of needing to take a summer course at her university, she'd barely seen anyone on the team since her and Masako's shared birthday party weeks ago.

The real reason was about a hundred times more complicated than that, of course.

She knew she couldn't keep avoiding Naru.

SPR was her job...

But she still couldn't bring herself to answer any of her messages.

"Suzuna, did you see that hot guy in the courtyard? He looked like he was waiting for someone..."

Two girls pushed past Mai heading in the opposite direction.

"I did! He's really cute! But there's no way someone like that would be a student at a public university like ours! Plus, what was up with the dark clothes and long sleeves? It's almost August..."

 _Oh shit._

Mai slowed, looking around cagily.

She was just being paranoid.

Right?

 _Surely he wouldn't..._

"Mai." Naru stood in the center of the courtyard, apparently oblivious to the numerous stares and whispers being directed his way.

Actually, knowing that Narcissist, he was probably completely aware of what his presence was doing.

And probably basking in the chaos.

This was just as bad as when her friend Misaki-kun had been dropped off by his roommate in that flashy red sports car.

 _People had talked about it for weeks..._

"Naru...Hey." Mai laughed awkwardly. "What are you doing here?"

At her school.

Which she was 99.99999 percent sure was not haunted.

 _Oh, kami-sama, please don't actually let her school be haunted._...

She was going to be the weird girl again!

He raised an irritated brow. "You're ignoring your phone, apparently."

She looked at him in confusion.

Had he really come down here just to chastise her for avoiding him?

 _Plausible deniability, Mai._

 _Deny it like you're a damn politician..._

"Huh? No way. I'm not ignoring anyone..." she said, scrambling for an excuse as she dragged him over to the side of the courtyard, next to the cafeteria building.

She could literally feel the curious eyes of her classmates...

"It's just this literature class I'm taking right now. Professor Kamijou is nuts. Seriously. The guy's a demon. I heard he threw a book at a kid in one of his classes for falling asleep. The guy had to get, like, six stitches..." She trailed off, aware she was babbling.

Damn, she wasn't even making it up, either.

The guy had a real hard-on for literature...

"So. Yeah. Gotta go..." She started forward, but Naru shot his arm forward, effectively pinning her against the building.

Other students had actually stopped walking to watch them.

"Naru, I'm not kidding. My professor is literally insane..." She trailed off, swallowing awkwardly.

Naru was staring at her with his patented "I hired a moron." face.

She hated that face.

"Are you done?" Naru asked impassively.

She pressed her lips together, nodding.

 _She was so done._

"You're avoiding the office." He didn't bother to phrase it as a question, so she didn't bother to answer.

"Is it because of what happened on our last case?" He leaned forward a little, invading her space, and she backed up nervously, until she bumped into the wall behind her.

"No. It's not anything like that. I've just been really, really busy..." She tried edging the other way, but he narrowed his eyes at her and she stopped.

Actually, she'd welcome a poltergeist right about now...

"So, you aren't avoiding the office?" He said casually, and she tensed, sensing the trap.

"Nope. No avoidance here..." She said.

"Then you'll be happy to know we've accepted a case. Lin and I will pick you up in the morning at eight sharp. Be ready." With that, he turned and walked off.

She slumped against the building.

"Damn it-Damn It-Damn It!"

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

She hated riding in the van. . The only good part was that she wasn't in the car with Bou-San and Ayako, like her two poor best friends were.

She'd forgotten until that morning, when she'd heard Ayako and Monk yelling at each other through the windows of Bou-San's car.

The anniversary was coming up soon.

If she hadn't been so strenuously not-avoiding him, she might have been able to warn Naru not to take a case this week.

Or maybe the next week, too.

And possibly the one after that, just to be safe.

At least John had made a clean get away, visiting his family back in Australia for another few weeks.

Glancing to the two stoic men on either side of her, she thought maybe John had the right idea...

"Are you done looking over the case file?" Naru asked, never looking away from where he was staring out the window.

She sighed. "Yeah. Construction issues holding up the rest of the building from being sold. Electric issues, fool odors. Nails working themselves out again. Objects moving between rooms. Plumbing issues. But only when there is active construction somewhere in the building. The rest of the time, only the top penthouse apartment shows any activity." It was actually kind of weird. She'd never encountered a territorial spirit like this.

"The original building owner lived with his family on the top floor, in that apartment. He sank nearly the entirety of his assets into the project, so he moved his family in first. The rest of the building, through structurally sound, is basically a shell." Lin said, and she turned to look at him.

"Where are we setting up base?" She asked curiously.

"The floor below. The apartments on that level were closest to being done when the project was shut down." It was Naru who answered this time.

"When they found the bodies of the family in the penthouse?" She asked, suppressing a shiver.

The mother and daughter had been poisoned, and the father had been shot.

They'd never caught the perpetrator.

Then another thought struck her.

"Is there power? What about water?" She asked with dread.

"Yes, and yes. The bathroom in the unit is in full working order. The elevator, of course, if offline."

She'd been afraid of that.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"That's it. I'm dead." Yasu declared, dropping his last box on the floor.

Beside him, Masako giggled. Other than her own gear, she hadn't, as a consultant, been required to carry anything. Mai wanted to hate her, but couldn't actually blame her at the moment.

She just wanted to pass out for five minutes...

Her own legs jelly, she sat beside them on the floor, content to watch as Lin and Naru started the process of setting up base. She honestly hadn't been given anything too heavy to carry either, but all those stairs...

"Watch where you're going, you dumbass!"

"Old hag!"

Then there was Bou-San and Ayako.

"I can't believe they actually came on the case, with what time of year it is..." Masako murmured lowly.

"I think it's because of how things escalated on the last case. In their own way, they're worried about us.." Mai said helplessly, watching as Ayako threw her shoe at Bou-San.

"It's just...buried really deep right now, huh?" Yasu said grimly.

"Uh, guys? Anyone want to tell me where to start building this shelf?" Sato asked from the door way.

The other three's eyes widened in guilt.

 _They'd forgotten about poor Sato._

With John out of the country, Naru had apparently reluctantly (reluctantly, reluctantly, reluctantly) agreed that since Sato was on summer break, he could fill in for John. Plus, since Naru has decided that working in teams was to be a rule going forward, they'd needed the extra member.

Still, as she watched Naru boss the boy around, she couldn't help but feel that-

"How exactly did you manage to get into such a high caliber school, again?" Naru said snidely.

He was being a little aggressive, even for Naru.

"Okay, guys. How about I help Sato?" She said, coming to stand between the two of them. "I am basically a shelf building expert. This used to be my job, after all."

"He made you carry the shelving?" Sato asked, risking a glare at their boss.

Naru opened his mouth to retort, but Mai held up a hand to cut him off.

Laughing, she said, "I'm stronger than I look."

She bent down, humming as she ignored the two boys shooting lasers with their eyes over her head as she easily began assembling the shelf.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Ayako!" Mai said, walking over to where the older woman was pensively staring out the window. "I found your medallion on the floor over there."

She held the charm out to the older woman.

"Damn, the clasp keeps coming loose." Ayako murmured, taking the charm from her.

Mai frowned. "I can loan you a chain? I can just double up my medallion and my anchor key on the same one?"

Ayako frowned. "Thanks sweetie. But there might be a time when you want to take the medallion off. And you shouldn't ever take your anchor off."

Mai grimaced. Ayako was right. Since she had a habit of getting catapulted out of her body when she was injured, Madoka had advised her to keep her anchor with her always.

"I guess your right. It's probably a land spirit anyway, right?" She teased.

"Six stories up? Even I wouldn't have the gall to say that." Ayako chuckled. "Though, something about this building does feel off. You better go on. The Narcissist is staring a hole in the back of your head. Oh, and Mai?"

Mai paused, turning to look back at the older woman.

"Don't think I haven't noticed you avoiding everyone. We will be talking later."

Mai studied the woman she considered an older sister. Behind the grins and careless attitude, sorrow lurked in the woman's eyes." Mai nodded.

They did need to talk.

Mai hummed to herself as the four of them trudged upstairs.

"I can pair up with you." She offered to Sato, thinking back at his earlier fight with Naru. It was probably better to keep those two separated.

"He's going to work with Lin." Naru declared arbitrarily, and she rolled her eyes.

"Whatever." She muttered, knowing there was no getting out of it. Naru was apparently in a mood as well.

The penthouse was huge, taking up the entire top floor. It had several bedrooms, a walk in kitchen, dining room, several bathrooms and-

"A music room?" Mai asked, walking into the large, airy room with surprise.

One wall was entirely made of mirrors, and there was what she guessed to be a baby grand piano in the center of the floor. Sunlight streamed through the large windows, and Mai had a hard time imagining such a beautiful one being haunted.

"Is everyone still able to hear me?" Naru said into the radio.

"Gotcha"

"Affirmative."

"Loud and clear, Naru."

They'd been experimenting with using all their radios on a communal channel, so every team heard every update. Since they were paired up now, it would only be a matter of three or four radios sharing a channel instead of seven or eight, so Naru wanted to give it a try.

"I'm sensing at least three spirits. But for some reason I'm having a hard time getting a clear read on them." Masako's voice sounded funny over the radio, tinny and distant.

"They're very restless, but I cannot discern what is upsetting them." She added.

Mai walked over to the piano, sitting tentatively on the bench. Carefully she touched one of the keys, smiling at the clear sound echoing in the room. She had wanted to learn as a child, but money had been tight with only her mother working.

"I'm surprised it's still in tune after three years." Naru said, and she looked up at him where he stood over her. "They left the majority of the families belongings here, since the project went bankrupt, they technically belong to the bank now. But it's a shame, with an instrument this nice."

"You play?" She guessed. It seemed like the sort of talent he would have.

"A little." He admitted. "My mother plays and she taught me and Gene. He was the one who really took to it though."

Mai could see Luella in her mind's eye, carefully picking out the notes for a smiling Gene and diffident Naru.

He sat beside her, frowning in concentration before he reached out, slowly picking out a melody from memory.

"Sounds pretty good to me." She said, impressed despite herself. She cocked her head to the side, "What's that song called?"

He looked at her with a strange expression. "Don't you know? You've been humming it all day."

"I have?" She asked in surprise, shaking her head. "I guess...I must have heard it somewhere."

He studied her for a second, and she wondered what was going on in his mind.

She knew better than to ask, however. Naru might want to know everyone else's secrets, but he had never been keen on sharing his own.

He turned back to the piano, picking out the melody with only a little hesitation.

"It's an English folk ballad called "Scarborough Faire". It's usually sung, but my mother played it sometimes. It's about the singer giving a traveler a message to take to their ex-lover."

"What's the message?" She asked, closing her eyes to better hear the melody. She could tell that every once in a while he was hitting a false note.

But she couldn't remember where she'd heard it before...

"She gives him a set of impossible tasks to complete. If he can complete them, it proves that their love is true." He said, the song coming to a stop.

She opened her eyes.

 _Impossible tasks..._

For some reason, it made her think of Ayako and Bou-San.

"Let's go, Mai." Naru said, standing abruptly.

Play time was apparently over.

They were heading out the door when Lin radio'd in.

"Naru, the angle on the camera's not quite centered..."

"I'll get it." Mai said, turning back to the camera. Naru came to a stop just outside the room, watching impassively.

Halfway across the room, Mai paused.

She could have sworn she could still hear that song playing...

The door slammed behind her and she jumped around, startled.

Running over, she tried the handle but it wouldn't turn.

She could feel the air cooling around her. The music seemed a little louder...

But she didn't sense any malevolence.

"Mai!" She could hear Naru call. "Get away from the door. I'm going to have to kick it in."

"Don't!" She called out placatingly. "Nothing bad's happening. It might just be trying to communicate with us."

She should be used to being ghost bait by this point.

Might as well make the best of it...

She walked to the center of the room, arms wrapped around herself. It was August and she'd dressed for the heat, in shorts and a tank top.

"Alright. We'll wait a moment." She could tell he was reluctant to operate on the spirit's terms, but pleased he'd decided to trust her.

"What's happening?" Lin's voice came over her radio.

She picked hers up. "Lin, the door has closed between Naru and I. I think a spirit may be trying to communicate. We're going to give it a minute. Keep him calm for me, will ya?" She grinned, turning in a circle to survey the room.

"I understand." He replied, and she could just imagine the look on his face as he dealt with their boss.

She chuckled lowly.

Other than the chill and the gentle music, nothing seemed to be happening. The sheer curtains were ruffling gently in a breeze that shouldn't, by rights be there, but that was all...

"Mai?" Naru called again, impatience in his voice.

"I'm still okay!" She called back.

Maybe she should reach out to the spirit herself?

"Hello? Can you here me?" She said calmly. "Is there something you want to tell me?"

The music seemed to swell for a moment and she shuddered, the temperature was starting to drop more.

Her eyes were caught by her reflection in the mirrored wall. Frost was starting to grow across the glass, obscuring her reflection.

As she watched, the entire segment of mirror frosted over. She could see her own movement, but that was it.

She walked closer, the movement mirrored by her reflection, except...

Her reflection grew smaller as she came closer, instead of larger.

Suddenly, a spot in the center of the mirror melted, water running down before freezing again.

Like a finger print, being drawn across the glass.

It was writing something, the kanji slowly becoming readable.

She leaned forward, placing her own palm against the glass without thinking.

" _Safe_..."

Safe?

"Who is safe?" Mai whispered. She thought she heard the radio crackle in the background, but her entire being was focused on the mirror...

What was it trying to tell her?

Her breath froze.

"Not safe."

That's when the door flew in behind her.

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Sato looked in growing concern between the two older Ghost Hunters as they argued quietly.

"Mai asked us to give her a moment." Lin said, implacable as always. "She's trying to communicate with the spirit."

"I've given her exactly four. She's stopped answering." Shibuya said. His growing tension was subtle, yet the hair was raising along Sato's arm, much like it had that day in the student council classroom.

He'd never seen Shibuya use any type of chant the way Taniyama had, but he was starting to get an inkling that the guy was more powerful than he let on.

"Taniyama, are you okay?" He called, cupping his hand around his mouth to try and project it through the door better.

Still no response.

"Takigawa, what do you see on the camera?" Lin said into his radio.

"She's looking at something in the mirror. I can't see what, though. She doesn't appear scared." It was Yasu who answered. "Bou-San's already on his way down."

Sato was relieved to hear the Monk was on his way down. He had a friendly aura that seemed to help lighten the tension when he was around, and Sato knew Taniyama put a great deal of stock in the man.

"Mai, you need to answer us!" It was funny, Shibuya didn't even have to raise his voice to somehow convey his authority. Watching him, Sato was suddenly very glad he wasn't the door in between the man and Taniyama...

"Guys, the temperature in the room just plummeted, and she still hasn't moved." This time, Yasu sounded worried too.

"Lin-" Shibuya didn't even have to finish his sentence, the older man had already drawn up a leg, kicking in the door in a way that probably managed to look easier than it really was.

The three men rushed into the room, and Sato sucked in a breath, stunned at the temperature difference. The room was frigid, so cold the mirrors had actually frosted over.

"Mai!" Shibuya said as they rushed over to her.

She had startled, turning to face them when they'd broken down the door, but other than that, she hadn't move or made so much as a sound.

Her eyes were dazed, pupils blown wide. She was so pale he could see the delicate traceries of the veins under her skin.

"She's freezing." Lin said in concern, looking around the room quickly.

Shibuya was already draping his jacket around her. This seemed to be what broke the spell, and she blinked, swaying for a second.

"Eriko." She whispered faintly, her voice muffled in Shibuya's shoulder as he leaned around her to study the mirror.

It looked like something might have been written in the frost, but already it was melting, the kanji unrecognizable.

"What?" Shibuya said, tilting her face up to his, frowning as he stared into her eyes.

Sato found himself wondering if he always touched her like that, like it was a simple right. Perhaps so, since she never seemed to notice when he did.

It stood out, however, since Sato had noticed Shibuya seemed reticent to touch people, otherwise.

Shibuya was rubbing his hands up and down Taniyama's arms now, though under the cover of his jacket she was already starting to look a little less...

Ghostly.

"Eriko. She said her name was Eriko."

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"The Kaidou family lived here for nearly seven months before their bodies were discovered. However, the family was killed the night before they were due to leave on a skiing trip. It was nearly two weeks before construction workers finally broke down the door, due to the smell." Naru said, looking from one team member to another.

"I withheld some details, such as names, until after our original walk through, because I wanted to see what objective results the sensitive members of our team could discern."

Mai nodded. Naru had told them early on that sometimes he would withhold certain details, not to be arbitrary, but to uphold the integrity of the investigation.

By having the psychic members of their team go in "blind", it helped to prove that they were, in fact communicating with spirits and not just imagining things based on the information provided to them.

In this case, Mai had already discerned one name, and Masako had confirmed the number of spirits present, so now he was giving them the remaining details.

"The Kaidou family was rumored to have had shady business dealings, which may or may not have led to their murders. After three years, however, the police remain unable to solve the case. Without Kaidou to assuage investors, the project quickly went bankrupt. The bank has been working with a construction company to get the building up to code, so it can be sold at auction, but severe disruptions keep interrupting the work." He finished.

"How severe?" Bou-San questioned.

"Severe enough that a bank is willing to pay an organization like SPR." Naru answered shortly.

Well, that's not good.

Institutions like banks generally took a very dim view of organizations like theirs. To be willing to pay them indicated a pretty deep level of concern.

"When you say shady, do you mean, like, the Yakuza or something?" Sato asked.

"Possibly. I can't say for certain. But with a project this large, it's likely Kaidou came in contact with at least some people of that sort. The family was rumored to be quite happy, however, towards the end there might have been money troubles, as both parents were reported to have been quite tense, and the girl's grades at school had started to suffer."

"Eriko?" Mai said, remembering her vision, if that was what it could be called.

He looked over at her . "Eriko Kaidou, nine years old at time of death. Her parents were Haruka and Jun Kaidou."

He slid photos across the table for everyone to see. Mai honestly didn't want to see the faces of the murdered family, but she forced herself to look.

Eriko had been a smiling, gap-toothed elementary schooler, with bright eyes and dark brown braids.

She had been so little...

She risked a glance at Ayako. The woman was staring stonily at the photo.

"Haruka has been a concert pianist prior to her marriage, at which time she retired. Jun was obviously in real estate." Naru finished, collecting the photos again.

"What was the poison used?" Ayako murmured.

"A cocktail of sleeping pills and other prescription medications." Naru answered, and Ayako shook her head, lips pursed in quiet anger.

What had happened to this picture perfect family?


	19. Chapter 19

_Mai drifted towards the music, humming a little. Beside her, Gene also seemed entranced._

 _She wondered if he missed the music._

 _In the music room, a woman sat on the bench beside a little girl. The woman was beautiful, with a long, elegant neck and classic features. Her skin was so flawless, she practically glowed._

 _"_ _Here, and here." She said softly, repositioning the girls fingers on the keys. "Try it again, just like I showed you. Wouldn't you like to play it for Daddy when he gets home?"_

 _"_ _Y-es." The girl replied softly, sounding tense. Her demeanor clashed with the room's atmosphere, the gentle sunlight and lilting music._

 _Why was she nervous_?

 _It was only her mother..._

 _The girl began to play again, the same song as before._

 _'_ _Scarborough Faire', Mai realized._

 _Suddenly, the girl hit a wrong note, and froze._

 _The change in the woman was instantaneous, and terrifying._

 _Her pupil's dilated, her back stiffened. Her hand shot out, slapping the child so hard she fell off the bench, cradling her cheek as fat tears dripped from her chin._

 _She was silent, however. The sobs, hard enough to shake her small frame, never escaped her lips._

 _Mai and Gene froze, and she realized she had gripped Gene's hand without thinking about it._

 _She wished it comforted the way Naru's did._

 _"_ _Oh, Eriko. I'm so sorry, sweetie. Mommy didn't mean it." The woman's demeanor changed again, fast enough to give Mai whiplash as she crouched over the crying child, cradling her to her chest, humming softly._

 _"_ _Mommy's so sorry_..."

Mai awoke disoriented, blinking the last vestiges of the dream away.

Someone was yelling...

Masako was sitting up too, looking around the empty room where the girls had set up the their futons. Ayako's was already folded neatly up against the wall.

Mai could here arguing from the kitchen more clearly now. She frowned at her watch. It was early, not yet seven and they'd been up, discussing the case until nearly two while watching the monitors.

She had a sinking feeling it was going to be a long day...

Quickly shrugging a hoodie over her pajama top, she stumbled out to the kitchen, Masako trailing behind her.

Ayako and Bou-San were standing in the kitchen, arguing again.

Yasu, Lin and Sato were standing to one side, watching. Lin was already dressed, but she guessed Sato and Yasu had been woken up by the argument just as she had.

Yasu met her eyes warningly, and she knew it must be pretty bad this time.

"I don't understand why you ALWAYS have to be like this!" Bou-San yelled, getting right into Ayako's face.

"That's right, Rockstar," Ayako sneered the word. "It's my fault. All of it. Just like always!"

"Just once, can't you meet me half-way? Or is that not good enough for a Doctor of your caliber?" Bou-San was so angry a vein was pulsing under his eye, and she felt Masako take her hand from behind. Yasu's face was grim.

Mai understood his fears.

Ayako and Bou-San were like their older siblings. They'd taken the three youngest SPR members under their wing, even after the team was disbanded.

But it was obvious that things were going badly between the two.

These two would probably come to blows over anything, even the weather, at least this week, anyway.

Still...

She tried not to take sides, but it did seem like Ayako had been going out of her way lately to antagonize Bou-San.

"What is going on here?" Naru's cross voice came from the doorway, and instinctively, she cringed. Naru was not a morning person, for all his obsession with punctuality.

"Ask him." Ayako yelled. "Oh, wait. That's right. It's all me. Some people never learn to take responsibility for their own actions!"

Bou-San froze, and Masako's grip tightened on Mai's hand.

Everyone waited, breath held as they looked at the angry couple.

Without another word, Bou-San turned, walking out of the room, then out of the apartment, letting the door slam behind him.

Her eyes flew to Yasu and he waved her on, signaling that he would stay with Ayako and try and calm her down.

She wasted no time running after Bou-San, not even bothering to grab her shoes.

"Mai." Naru was calling after her, but she didn't have time to deal with him at the moment.

She looked up and down the hallway, frowning when she caught sight of Bou-San heading up the stairs.

Surely he wouldn't go into the loft apartment by himself?

But to her relief, he continued past the door to the loft's entry, still heading up.

The rooftop access.

She followed him out into the morning sun.

"Bou-San," She said, hugging him from behind.

She could feel him shaking with the strength of his emotions.

Why did it have to be like this?

"I just...don't understand her, Mai." He whispered raggedly. "No matter what I do, I can't reach her. What the hell does she want from me?"

She just shook her head, pressing her lips together to keep the tears at bay. She had no answers for him.

All she knew was that, without a doubt, Ayako was hurting just as bad.

"I don't think I can keep doing this, jou-chan." He said brokenly. "It's like throwing myself against a brick wall over and over again. It's...it's the definition of insanity."

She slowly released him, taking a step back as unease curdled in him stomach.

Somehow, she knew he was saying something more serious than ever before...

Was he going to give up on Ayako?

"Bou-San?" She asked tentatively.

He turned suddenly. "Mai, you still have your passport, right?"

Not sure where he was going with this line of questioning, she nodded wordlessly.

"The Band's been offered a chance to go on tour, real tour. On the mainland. I've been pushing against the idea for months now. But I think maybe now it's time. Nothings going to change here. For all I know, my being around is making her worse."

The girl stared at him, shocked.

Bou-San, leaving?

"But-"

"Mai, you could come with us." Bou-San said, startling her.

She could only stare at him, wide-eyed.

"Hibiki must have thought you were the reason I was so reluctant to go overseas." He explained. "He said you've helped out at enough gigs that he's willing to bring you on as the Band's official assistant. It would mean putting school on hold for a year, but just think about. The traveling, the sights you'd get to see. New cities, new faces. Plenty of adventure. No ghosts trying to push anyone off buildings."

He looked up, over her shoulder. "No narcissistic jerks to break your heart again."

He said the words so low only she could hear, and she glanced over her shoulder to see Naru standing in the doorway to the rooftop.

Was he serious?

Bou-San put a hand on her shoulder. "Just promise me you'll think about it, okay. Don't be afraid to live, Mai."

She stared after the man she considered to be her brother.

He was the one who had always comforted her, supported her. He'd kept her company, taking her to dinner or the movies when she was lonely. He'd given her odd jobs to earn money even when he himself hadn't had much to spare.

She had been completely prepared to go over the edge of the Church's roof with him, if that was what it took.

But could she leave with him?

Just...up and leave. Leave her friends and her education?

Leave Ayako and Yasu and Masako?

Leave ghost hunting just when SPR was back up and running...

Suddenly, she thought about Naru, dropping the misshapen bullet into her hand that night outside of their hotel.

She had wanted to run away from him, that night.

Away from all the painful possibilities that bullet held.

How far did she want to run?

"Care to tell me what all that was about?" Naru said, coming to her when it became evident she wasn't moving anytime soon.

She blinked, looking at him uncertainly.

He had her shoes in one hand, and her heart twisted in her chest.

Why was it the little things he did that destroyed her?

"No." She answered, the stark honesty in her voice enough to stop him from asking any more questions for once.

How long could she keep this up?

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She walked downstairs numbly, nearly running into Naru's back when he stopped suddenly at the door to the Loft's entryway.

"Stay here." He commanded, yanking the door open, and running towards the front door of the apartment.

With a start, she realized she could smell smoke.

Would the sprinkler system work in a building like this?

"Naru!" She called.

She sprinted after him, nearly clipping her shoulder on the door as it started to close behind him.

He went straight for the kitchen, and she followed, stopping short when he threw out an arm blocking her way.

"Get back!" He yelled.

She covered her nose and mouth as the scent of smoke grew stronger, making her eyes water and sting.

Though the loft was empty, the gas burner on one side of the stove was not only on, but turned much, much too high.

Flames danced above the stove in a ghostly wind, starting to lick at the wall.

It moved like a living thing.

Smoke was starting to billow throughout the room.

Naru had grabbed a small extinguisher from under neath the sink, but it didn't seem to be having much effect.

Suddenly, Lin and Yasu burst in with larger extinguishers, probably from the hallway or stairwell. Between the three of them, they finally got the blaze under control.

The others were standing behind her by now.

"I don't even understand what was burning..." Sato said in confusion. "The gas isn't even connected up here. Lin and I checked yesterday."

"Sometimes, it doesn't matter." Mai murmured, remembering her first official case as Naru's assistant. Ayami's new step mother had been driven from house in fear by an episode just like this.

She wondered if their family had ever reconciled.

"Is everyone okay?" Bou-San asked grimly.

Ready to run or not, she knew if she looked over at him right now, he'd be watching Ayako.

Everyone was not okay.

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"So, all the family's belongings that weren't left upstairs were put down here in storage?" Mai asked, shining her flashlight around the dark room.

She hated creepy basements.

"That's what Bossman says." Yasu agreed, opening another box.

A spider ran across the box Mai was about to open, and she jumped back, shuddering.

"Yasu..." She whined, rubbing her hand against her jeans in disgust.

He snorted. "You literally follow ghosts through the woods at night, but you're scared of spiders?"

"They have too many legs..." She fretted, warily kicking the box to make sure nothing else skittered out before lifting one flap by the corner.

It looked like a box of photo albums.

"Hey, good job." Yasu said, bending over. Lifting one out, he opened it randomly.

Looking over his shoulder, Mai couldn't help contrast the smiling Kaidou family with the one she'd seen in her dream last night.

It seemed every family had its secrets.

"Looks like there are some home videos, as well." Yasu said. "Lin can probably get these to play on one of our monitors."

Mai shook her head. It was hard enough to see photos of the murdered family. She didn't think she could bear to watch videos.

"I need a nap." She muttered, the scant few hours of sleep she'd gotten the night before finally catching up to her.

"That's when you seem to be at your best..." Yasu agreed, and she shoved her shoulder into him playfully.

As the began the long (long) trek upstairs, her mind circled back to Bou-San's offer.

"Yasu..." She said slowly. "If you had an opportunity to go overseas, would you?"

He glanced over at her for a moment, eyes narrowed. "Going somewhere?"

She shrugged, uncomfortable with even saying the words out loud.

He sighed, silent for a moment.

"Mai Taniyama." He said it like he was narrating a movie introduction, and she smiled despite herself.

"You have been the one to hold me and everyone else together for years now. If your heart now leads you elsewhere..." He trailed off and she giggled.

"Seriously, though. If you need to get out of the picture for a while, it would suck. But you've done a pretty good job of patching us all up again. I think we can manage to hold water for a little while on our own." He shoved his shoulder into her this time.

"It's okay to need to fix yourself sometimes, too."

She thought back to the smiling pictures of the Kaidou family.

Were there some things so bad they couldn't be fixed?

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Gene held his finger to his lips, and she nodded, straining her ears to listen.

They were in the music room again, but this time it was dark.

It was obviously late, and the floor was cold against her bare feet.

The room that seemed so inviting by day now seem ominous, hungry.

She looked around, eyes slowly adjusting to the dark.

Her heart stalled, then sped up again as she spied a small figure crouched under the piano.

Eriko?

"I know you're running around behind my back!" A man screamed suddenly, the sound cutting easily through the walls, and Mai jumped reflexively.

Was that Eriko's father, Jun?

He sounded furious, truly furious, in a way that made her nerves tighten and scream "danger"...

Somehow, just hearing it, without being able to see anything made it all worse.

"Me? I saw how you looked at that woman at the club yesterday!" It was a woman's voice this time, and as Mai watched, the child hunched deeper into herself.

She looked so small and alone.

Mai wanted to leave, wanted to wake up before this broke anymore of her already bruised heart.

But something horrible had happened to this little girl, and someone needed to find out what it was.

Even if it took a piece of her she might not get back.

There was a muffled scream, and the sound of broken glass.

Weren't these people supposed to have loved each other?

Suddenly, Gene had her by the shoulder.

"Something's wrong. You need to wake u-"

Her face was wet, but for once it wasn't tears..

"What?" She whispered, still disoriented from the dream.

Why was she wet?

On either side of her, Masako and Ayako were fast asleep.

She could hear water, though. Her futon was damp, and she could see puddles of water shining on the bare floorboards.

Where was it coming from, though?

Had a window opened?

She glanced out the bare window to see the moon shining in an clear, dark sky.

A drop landed on her bare shoulder, and she looked up reflexively.

Oh, shit...

"Ayako! Masako!" She yelled, scrambling out of her futon.

She kept a wary eye on the ceiling as she scrambled towards Masako.

She could hear motion from the next room as the boys stirred, her yells waking them.

Footsteps came from base, heavy and fast, Lin or Bou-San, probably.

A piece of plaster landed on her pillow, and she lunged over, shaking Masako frantically.

"Wake up!" She yelled again.

The girls eyes fluttered open.

"What-Mai?" She gasped, sitting up.

"Are you guys-Ayako!" Bou-San shouted behind her, grabbing the disoriented red head and pulling her out of her futon towards the door.

Mai and Masako were just behind them, and not a moment too soon as a pile of wet plaster and water suddenly rained onto the futons where the three women had been sleeping only a moment before.

Water was still cascading down...

"We need to shut off the water line upstairs!" Naru commanded, as he and Lin headed for the stairwell.

"Are you okay?" Sato said, bending down to look Mai in the face.

She nodded, wiping water and dust off of her face. The energy from the dream combined with her confusion upon waking had left her without words.

Yasu was hovering over Masako, who was still standing with her hand covering her mouth as she surveyed the damage to their room.

Wet plaster was clumped everywhere, though the water seemed to be slowing. Lin and Naru must have found the water main to upstairs...

"Don't touch me!" Ayako snapped, pulling sharply away from Bou-San.

Mai could see the man's tension, frustration painting his features.

"Fine. Whatever you want." He ground out. "I'm going upstairs to see if they need help."

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Apparently, the water had been running in one of the bathrooms in the loft above them for hours. While the bathroom floor had been reinforced against just such a possibility, the bedroom attached to it had not been.

With the ceiling of the apartment they were using as base being unfinished as well, it hadn't taken long for the ceiling to collapse.

Bou-San and Yasu had taken taken the girl's belongings to an all night laundry mat, so they'd have something clean to wear in the morning.

Masako has taken possession of Yasu's futon, as she had a meeting with her manager in the morning. The other three guys had gone upstairs to check the damage and ascertain how safe the rest of the floors were, leaving Mai and Ayako to watch the monitors.

Neither one had particularly felt sleepy after nearly getting caught in the avalanche, so they sat quietly in the living room, cups of tea in their hands. The glow of the monitors was the only light.

"Ayako..." Mai said softly, unsure of how to say what she was thinking.

"I know, Mai." Ayako said without facing her. "I know what you want to say."

"Why?" Mai asked, her voice trembling. "Can you really not forgive him?"

She knew, she knew how much the woman cared for Bou-San.

"I forgave him a long time ago." Ayako admitted softly.

"Then why?" Mai demanded tremulously.

Ayako swallowed. "I went to see a specialist, after the accident. Just to make sure everything was okay."

"It wasn't."

Mai stared at her in shock. "Ayako...what do you mean?"

She knew from the look on the woman's face, that whatever it was, it was bad...

"I can't have kids, Mai. The baby...the Doctor said that was a one in a million chance. It shouldn't have even been possible." Ayako's voice was husky, wrecked with the tears she wasn't shedding.

"What...what did Bou-San say?" Mai barely breathed the question.

Ayako's only answer was silence.

"You didn't tell him, did you?" Mai said, certain she was right.

Ayako shook her head despairingly.

"You don't get it, Mai. You didn't see his face when he found out I was pregnant. I'd spent all that time worrying he wouldn't want it, but when. I finally told him, his face...Mai, I've never seen him so happy. He was just like that Christmas at the orphanage. He loves kids."

She chuckled humorlessly. "He said he'd always wanted a family. Always wanted kids. The one thing he's always wanted is the one thing I can't give him."

Mai swallowed. Her throat felt like it was coated in sand. She licked her lips. "You're afraid he'll turn you down if he finds out?"

Ayako snorted. "You know, for one moment, I was actually worried he'd only proposed because of the baby. But the moment I...as soon as it was over, I knew it was bullshit. I could have lost a hand and a eye and half my face and the stupid, sweet jerk would marry me."

Tears were running silently down Ayako's face now, making her look years younger.

Mai's heart constricted in her chest. The tea cup was clenched so tightly in her coat she was surprised it didn't shatter into a million pieces.

Just like her family.

"You're protecting him." Mai said softly.

Of course Ayako was. Bou-San was the staunch protector of their family. But Ayako was the little girl who'd grown up listening to the trees. When everyone around her had told her to do, to be, one thing, she'd become something else entirely.

Because she felt it was the right thing to do.

"He'd do the right thing, no matter what it cost him." Ayako agreed, turning to look at Mai. "That's why I have to protect him from himself. Love isn't supposed to destroy."

And Mai could see it, then. The way they tore at each other so desperately.

It had never been hate.

It hadn't even been guilt.

It had been a love that was desperate to do the right thing.

A dangerous love.

"So...what are you going to do?" Mai asked.

She could feel something pacing inside the older woman. A clock ticking down.

"Did you like when you went to Chicago with me for that conference?" Ayako asked suddenly, and Mai blinked at the sudden change in subject.

She dreaded where she thought this was going...

"They've offered me a position there, at the hospital. You could come. We could get you a student visa. I saw how much you enjoyed yourself. We could go somewhere where it isn't always all about death. I can barely sleep at night anymore. The reason Houshou couldn't wake me earlier was the sleeping pill I had taken just to try and sleep. I can't do this anymore."


	20. Chapter 20

Mai stumbled through the morning's rounds of equipment checks. She was so zoned out that Naru tried to send her back to bed, but she refused, unsure that she could handle any more borrowed pain on top of her own.

"What's going on, Mai." He said finally, looking at her in frustration.

She blinked, looking around in distraction. They were back in the music room, and it made her think of last night's dream.

"Do you think every family is like the Kaidous?" She asked. "Picture perfect on the outside, but dark and twisted underneath?"

He studied her. Finally, he took a breath. "I was never close to Gene. For all that we were twins, we were too dissimilar. But I never felt the antagonism towards him you've described in your dreams of the Kaidou family. I never felt the need to control or hurt. Perhaps they were always like that, or something happened to change them. There may be no way to know."

She nodded. It was a classic Naru non-answer, but that wasn't really surprising.

Naru's need to be sure often meant he refused to be.

"Masako says she can clearly sense at least three different spirits here. It would make sense to assume that it's the three members of the Kaidou family. I'm

Not sure what is causing the interference she's been sensing. I'd hoped we might discover something that would allow us to cleanse them, but we haven't been able to discern anything about the deaths." Naru said as they walked downstairs.

"No way to cleanse them." She translated. And without John, there was no way to painlessly exorcise them.

"It's less than ideal, but without something else to go on, we'll have to have Bou-San do an exorcism tomorrow. At this rate of escalation, it will soon become dangerous for us to remain. Even a painful parting is better than being trapped in limbo forever." Naru said.

Mai followed, musing over his words.

Were the only options really either a painful parting or being stuck in limbo?

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Mai walked out of the living room, unable to watch anymore of the Kaidou family's home videos.

They'd just watched one of the smiling family on the day they'd moved into the loft. A co-worker of Jun's had presented them with a Buddhist statue as a move-in gift. Something to do with it being a goddess of music. Watching Haruka laugh on camera had been more than she could stomach.

Ayako seemed bothered by it too, but while all Mai wanted was for her to turn it off, she kept pausing a replaying the scene over and over again.

Even her dreams couldn't be worse, she decided.

She was wrong.

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 _Gene was uneasy, and it frankly scared her._

 _Watching the scene in front of her, however, she couldn't blame him._

 _Haruka threw a vase a Jun, and he ducked, lunging forward to grab her by the shoulders, shaking her so hard her head snapped back and forth._

 _"_ _Mai.." Gene said warningly, and she bit her lip, wishing she could leave._

 _Why did everything always end up this way? Weren't these people supposed to love each other?_

 _Haruka screamed, slapping Jun across his face. Movement in the corner of the room caught Mai's attention._

 _Poor Eriko was in the corner, rocking back and forth in fear, hands clutches around her stomach as she cried silently._

 _"_ _How can they do this in front of her? She's their daughter.." Mai whispered the words in anguish._

 _Love wasn't supposed to destroy._

 _Gene tried to pull her out of the dream then. She could feel it but she was stronger, stronger than him in some ways._

 _And she was determined to watch to the bitter end._

 _Something in her demanded it, insisted that she see every last moment._

 _Perhaps a part of her recognized this darkness._

 _With a roar, Jun pushed Haruka to the ground. Striding over to his desk, he yanked open a drawer._

 _Mai's eyes widened when she saw the gun._

 _So he had been shot with his own weapon?_

 _Could he really try to kill his own wife?_

 _Could love really be twisted into something so unrecognizable?_

 _She wanted to scream..._

 _He came striding toward Haruka, eyes blazing, but at the last moment he hesitated, hand shaking just a little._

 _It was only a moment, but it was all Haruka needed._

 _Lashing out with her feet, she knocked Jun to the ground. The gun went sliding across the floor, and Mai expected Haruka to go after it, but instead the woman tackled her husband, pummeling him with her fists._

 _He began to fight back, wrapping his hands around the woman's throat._

 _Haruka's eyes bulged as her air was cut off._

 _"_ _Mai!" Gene warned, but it was too late._

 _The gun went off, the report echoing in the small room. Jun sagged, arms dropping from around Haruka's throat._

 _Her ears still ringing, Mai turned numbly to stare at Eriko._

 _The child was shaking, eyes wide and blank with shock, the gun hanging limply_

 _from her small hand._

 _Behind Mai, Haruka rose unsteadily to her feet._

 _Both Mai and Eriko cringed as Haruka approached the child, unsure of what violence to expect._

 _Mai's limbs felt cold and numb. Sparkles danced in front of her eyes, but she forced down the shock._

 _She needed to know the truth._

 _"_ _It's okay, sweetheart." The woman crooned, bloodied hand leaving a smear of red across the child's cheek._

 _"_ _Mommy knows what to do. We'll fix everything."_

 _Mai couldn't bear to see the spark of hope that fluttered in the child's eyes._

 _"_ _Oh, kami-sama..." She whispered in growing horror as she watched the woman go into the bathroom and emerge a moment later with a small pill bottle in her hand._

 _Humming, she took the child's hand in her own, leading her into the kitchen. The girl followed as numbly as Mai felt, as she too, followed helplessly._

 _"_ _You know what you need to know." Gene said, grabbing her hand but she ignored him._

 _Wasn't it time someone did the right thing for Eriko?_

 _Even if it shouldn't have had to be her job._

 _Wasn't it time someone did the hard thing?_

 _Eriko has lived this horror._

 _How could Mai not at least watch until the end._

 _Still humming, the woman took a spoon from the drawer, using the rounded side to crush a small hand full of pills. Dumping the remainder into her own palm, she swallowed them dry before sweeping the crushed pills into a glass of milk._

 _She handed the glass to Eriko. "Drink it all sweetie. Every last drop."_

 _"_ _And everything will go back to normal?" The girl whispered dazedly._

 _Haruka smiled, and Mai had to swallow down nausea._

 _Because, for all the darkness and craziness she saw dancing in the woman's eyes...there was also love._

 _So much love it broke something in her._

 _"_ _I love you, sweet girl..." The woman murmured..._

Mai woke quietly. Her eyes felt dry.

There was a raging silence inside her.

She didn't think people were meant to feel like this.

She got up numbly.

Walking into the living room, she saw Lin sitting by himself as he watched the monitors.

She took a seat by him silently, for once not at all bothered by his lack of words.

She was drowning inside herself...

She saw him glance at her in surprise.

"Are...you alright, Mai?" He said after a moment and she wondered what it was he saw in her face that made the ever stoic Lin resort to actual words.

Could he see the horrors she'd seen reflected in her eyes?

She felt like a different person than she'd been just a few hours ago.

"I'm fine. Can't sleep." She said, pulling her knees up and resting her chin on them, staring blankly at the monitors.

Nothing on them could really shock her at this point...

She wondered if the screaming silence in her head would end anytime soon.

She wondered if there would be anything left of her when it did.

"I'm going to make some tea. Will you stay here and watch everything?" He said after a moment.

She nodded silently.

He left on quiet feet, and she felt the shadows wrap themselves around her.

Did love always end up some twisted thing that destroyed?

It certainly hadn't done Kaidou family any good.

Or Ayako and Bou-San.

Or her and Naru.

Or her and Naru and Gene, if she was being honest...

A teacup was set gently in front of her.

All she saw was the hand, but it was enough.

Lin had woken Naru up.

Lin didn't return.

She couldn't find it in herself to care that even Lin could be frightened of her.

She felt dangerous.

They sat in silence for several moments, Mai staring at the cup

of steaming tea, and Naru staring at her.

The tea made her think of the milk, and suddenly her hand was lashing out of its own accord, and the cup was lying shattered on the floor.

She covered her mouth in shock, suddenly having trouble catching her breath.

She felt strong hands grip her shoulders, shaking her just the tiniest bit.

She looked up at his face (finally) reflexively.

Opening her mouth and closing it several times, she finally whispered "I know what happened."

There was something slightly feral in Naru's eyes. She recognized it because the same beast seemed to be pacing inside her own chest at that moment.

"I don't care." He said simply, and somehow it was enough.

She'd been so sure that all the words in the world couldn't put her back together again.

But somehow, it was enough.

It was enough, and she broke down then, quiet sobs shaking her shoulders, soundless gasps of breath shaking her frame, and he let her. Easing her back into the chair she hadn't realized she'd left, he stood guard while she sobbed out the horror of it all.

He didn't try to comfort or sooth her. He didn't try to pretend it away.

He simply kept guard while she bled it all out.

Minutes or hours later, her sobs subsided. The rest of the apartment was silent and still.

Somehow her breakdown hadn't roused the others.

"You're right here. With me, right now." Naru's voice was impossibly soft.

Had she known he could make his voice so soft?

"This is real." He said with calm confidence.

Was it? Was any of it? She wasn't so sure, not of anything.

Certainly not of herself.

"Will you tell me what happened?" He said.

"To the Kaidous?" She asked, closing her eyes.

She remembered the traitorous love in Haruka's eyes, and to her horror, the image slowly transformed into one of Ayako staring into the monitors as she sobbed out her love for Bou-San.

Was love that deep destined to destroy? To break and tear and smother?

"Will you tell me whatever it is that's tearing Ayako and Bou-San apart, and has you trapped in the middle?" His voice was still so gentle, like he was placing each individual word with care.

How?

She shook her head, eyes still closed. "You're too smart, sometimes. You're too much."

How could he always see everything?

She'd seen such horrible things...but this...

This was just one of them.

And as horrible as the Kaidou family's demise was, in the end, it wasn't the thing running around in the dark corners of her mind.

Her dream hadn't created this monster.

It had simply freed it.

How could he grasp concepts she barely understood, and she'd lived them?

"What happened?" He pressed just a little and she gave up.

He always ended up with all the broken pieces of her, even when he didn't seem to realize it.

She opened her eyes.

"Ayako and Bou-San were engaged." She said, smiling for the barest second in rememberance.

She realized she'd never said any of this out loud.

Masako and Yasu and John had already known.

And the pain had been too deep to share with anyone else.

Until now.

"She was pregnant."

They were such simple words, but they had held so much hope and possibility.

Had.

His eyes widened, but he remained silent.

"I know, right? She's a Doctor and they still got caught off guard. But they were so...so happy. But her parents weren't thrilled, so they decided to just elope and be done with it. I got this email from her, and this picture. The two of them... that. That was the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. Just... the look in their eyes. Like all of a sudden, all their jumbled up pieces suddenly fit."

She trailed off, trying to say the rest without breaking down again.

For one moment, all the pieces had fit.

"The next thing I knew, John was calling. He was Bou-San's Emergency contact." She said solemnly.

"What happened?" He asked, but she could see in his eyes that he already knew how the story was going to end.

"A drunk driver t-boned them on Ayako's side. Bou-San did everything he could to avoid it. She's alive, which is a miracle on its own. But she lost the baby." Mai whispered.

"She blames Houshou?" Naru asked, eyes narrowed.

She shook her head. "Maybe, for just one moment, when the pain was so fresh it was all she could feel. But that wasn't really it. The problem was that Bou-San blamed himself. Ayako had to recuperate for quite a while, and his guilt made him... not himself."

"He avoided her. Not for long. Only a few days. They were both drowning in grief. He didn't mean it. But it was long enough for doubt to sink in. Was it really love? Was it just for the sake of the baby? Could a Doctor and a musician really be happy together?" She trailed off.

It was frightening how easily such happiness had just...slipped away.

"I'm surprised they can be together at all, then." Naru murmured.

She shrugged. "It didn't happen easily. It took a lot of effort, to be honest."

There were days she, Yasu and Masako had despaired of ever even getting the two of them together in the same room.

"How did you?" Naru asked.

"Yasu and I were hurt. John was in a dark place. Masako needed help. They couldn't bear to be around each other, but they couldn't just abandon us, either. And...

"They wanted it, deep down. To try and fix things. Or, at least, they did." She whispered.

Naru looked at her sharply. "So what changed?"

"Bou-san's always wanted a family." She said, more tears trickling down her cheeks. "He wants kids."

"And Ayako found out she can't have anymore."

His lips thinned grimly. "I see. Hence the impromptu custody battle over taking you overseas?"

Her eyes flew to his and she shook her head in shock. "How? How can you always know everything?"

His expression was unreadable. "I know you. I've given up trying to understand most people. But I know you. I know what it looks like when you're desperate to do the right thing but you don't know what it is."

She just stared at him, lips parted in disbelief.

How could he see her so clearly when she couldn't even see herself?

And yet, he could be so damn blind.

"You're impossible..." She whispered. She licked her lips.

The silence in the room had changed somehow.

It felt charged, like a storm was approaching.

She shivered.

Was it just her, or was his face suddenly closer?

Her heart sped up.

Her eyes slipped to his lips before she forced them up again.

But he wasn't looking at her eyes either, and her breath hitched.

His face was unreadable, and yet...

Was he about to kiss her?

Would she let him?

He raised a hand to the side of her face, his hand shockingly warm.

She startled a little, but his hand cupped her cheek and she stilled again.

He had so much power over her it was scary...

A sound at the doorway had them springing apart.

Mai's heart thundered in her chest as she stared in shock at Sato.

"Are you okay?" He asked Mai, chest heaving as he completely ignored Naru.

She just stared at him in confusion.

Naru stood, angling ever so slightly until he was between her and the other boy.

"What's wrong?" He demanded.

Sato looked at them grimly.

"I had a dream."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Mai and Lin watched the cameras grimly as Bou-San started his exorcism.

Sato's dream had been unclear, the only recognizable portions were Mai's presence and someone or something was a knife.

Presumably pointed at Mai.

Needless to say, she was thrilled.

It had been enough for Naru to decide to wrap up the investigation. She, Ayako and Lin were downstairs, watching on the monitors as the ceremony began.

Naru had been adamant she be out of the apartment, just in case, so Lin had volunteered to stay with her on the condition that Naru stayed with Bou-San.

"Where did Ayako go?" Lin asked suddenly, glancing around the room.

Mai shrugged as she leaned forward, trying to get a clearer brow of the proceedings upstairs.

She couldn't put her finger on it, but somehow she knew Masako had been right.

There was something weird about this case.

There was something weird about these spirits.

"She said she wanted to see something in Jim's study before the ceremony began." She replied distractedly.

What was different about these spirits?

Lin frowned. "I don't see her on the monitors anywhere..." He tapped a button.

"Because I'm right here." Ayako said from doorway, smiling. "I figured we could all use this."

She gestured to the tray of tea cups she held.

Lin smiled politely as he took his cup, attention already turned to the monitors again.

Mai's hand faltered for just a second as she remembered her dream from the night before.

Without thinking, she rubbed the amulet at her neck.

She looked up at Ayako's smiling face, feeling foolish.

"Thanks, Ayako."

 _It was her party, well, hers and Masako's._

 _Though there had been a distinct lack of confetti, everything else, streamers, cake and friends had all been in place._

 _Even Ayako and Bou-San had seemed to have called a temporary truce for the night._

 _All in all, it had been a fantastic party._

 _Now if she could just get away from Naru before he ruined it._

 _He'd insisted on walking her to the train station._

 _They were so close to the station when he'd suddenly done it._

 _It made her want to scream. Naru was the penultimate master of not saying things that should be said..._

 _So why?_

 _Why?_

 _"_ _We need to talk about what happened that day at the Academy." His voice echoed in the warm stillness of the night._

 _She paused, looking up at the sky. "I know. But I'm not going to."_

 _"_ _You don't think that's being just a little bit unreasonable?" He accused, eyes narrowed._

 _She smiled grimly. "Oh, I'm sure I'm being plenty unreasonable. But, it's my birthday, sooo..."_

 _She started for the station door again when he gripped her by the elbow._

 _"_ _We're going to talk about it." He stated, his tone sure._

 _She wanted to laugh or maybe hit him in the face._

 _Or possibly both._

 _"_ _Tell you what, Davis." She could tell her use of his actual name surprised him._

 _"_ _You answer one question. Just one, with an honest and real answer. Just one. And then we can talk all you want." She stared up at the sky again, studying the stars._

 _"_ _Alright." He said finally, and she could tell from his voice he'd braced himself for the worst._

 _She looked at him squarely. "What's the most beautiful thing you've ever seen?"_

 _She'd taken him off guard._

 _"_ _That's your question?" He said._

 _She looked up again, reaching one hand towards the stars._

 _At the right angle, it almost looked like you could touch them. Like they weren't actually a million, billion, trillion miles away._

 _Just like a guy she knew, who could be right beside her while forever being out of her reach._

 _She laughed. "What. Is. The. Most. Beautiful. Thing. You. Have. Ever. Seen." She enunciated each word with careful, painful slowness._

 _"_ _It's a simple question. All you have to do is give a genuine answer." She shook her head, amused and sad at the disorientation in his expression._

 _"_ _You can't do it, can you? You can't tell me the single most beautiful thing you've ever seen."_

 _She took a step back, angry suddenly._

 _Why did he get all of her, and she never got any of him?_

 _Not even a tiny piece?_

 _"_ _I'm a scientist." He said finally. "I've seen a number of things that could be called beautiful, but-"_

 _"_ _Nahhh!" She mimicked the sound of a buzzer. "If you have to explain your lack of answer, then you clearly don't have one to give."_

 _She had a train to catch._

 _He caught her arm again, fury in his eyes. She shook him off._

 _She stared at him angrily. "Fine."_

 _"_ _Fine?" He parroted back at her._

 _"_ _Yes." She ground out. "Fine. I'll do it. Experiments, help You on cases. Whatever you want. You don't actually need anything from me except my presence, right?"_

 _She struggled to contain her sudden fury._

 _"_ _I said I wanted to talk about it." He said angrily._

 _"_ _What's there to talk about? Without Gene, the only way you can use your powers without dying is with my help. So I'll help you. The end." It had always been her answer._

 _She just... hadn't wanted to say it._

 _Hadn't wanted him to make her say it._

 _She didn't want to be Gene's stand in, but she wasn't going to watch him die trying to save them the next time things went south on a case._

 _Of course she'd help him._

 _But that didn't mean some part of her wasn't furious that it had ended up like this._

 _She didn't want to be needed._

 _She desperately wanted to be wanted, however._

 _"_ _You really are a foolish scientist."_

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Lin still isn't responding." Yasu said to Shibuya as they walked down stairs.

Sato glanced down, frowning as he picked up the amulet off the step.

"Hey, didn't Taniyama say all you guys had one of these?" He asked, handing it to Shibuya in concern.

The other three froze, hands reaching for their own necks unison.

"Let me see it!" Shibuya practically snatched it from Sato. Flipping it over, he looked at Takigawa grimly. "It's Ayako's."

Yasu frowned. "I'm sure she had it on when we went upstairs."

"So how is it here now?" Sato asked?

He didn't receive an answer, however, as both Shibuya and Takigawa appeared to be racing for the base.

He and Yasu sprinted after them, nearly running into them in the door way.

Slowly, Takigawa and Shibuya eased inside, opening the way for Yasu and Sato, who froze at the sight before them.

Lin was slumped at the table, a coffee cup laying on its side beside him, liquid dribbling slowly off to puddle on the floor.

Ayako was sitting against the far wall, singing softly to an unconscious Taniyama, who's head was in Ayako's lap.

Ayako was rocking back in forth and tears were streaming down her face as she gently brushed Taniyama's hair out of her face.

In her other hand she clenched a kitchen knife.

His dream...

"Houshou..." She whimpered. "Don't let me hurt her..."

Taniyama lay limp and pale, so still Sato was afraid the worst might have already happened.

He had dreamed this...

"Ayako, I need you to put the knife down." Shibuya said in a voice of calm command. But the tension in the man's body belied his calm demeanor.

The woman laughed a little wildly. "I can't... I can't. It won't LET me..."

"What won't let you?" Naru asked grimly.

She laughed again. "That's ... the best part."

She giggled, clutching Taniyama a little closer to her, and Sato felt like he was watching Shibuya's muscles tense and coil like a jack-in-the-box about to spring.

Or a snake about to strike.

"It's an earth spirit." She said, her voice both pleading and cackling.

"Houshou, please. I can't hold it off for much longer, you have to stop me..."

Shibuya started forward, but Takigawa shot out an arm, stopping the younger man.

"Don't." The Monk said, a heaviness to his words not unlike when he'd been doing the ceremony upstairs.

"She won't hurt Mai." The words were said with absolute certainty.

"Are you willing to risk her life on that?" Shibuya said, and Sato felt power crackle around him.

"Take one more step, and we'll find out once and for all how powerful I really am." The Monk's threat hung in the room, the two men locked in a battle of wills that seemed to suck the air out of the room.

It was like a battle between two titans...

Sato could see the window above Ayako frosting over.

"One chance." It was the younger man who finally relented, but Sato had the feeling the moment he saw something he didn't like, all hell was going to break loose...

"Houshou..." Ayako whimpered.

"I'm right here, sweetheart." The Monk approached her gently. "It's just me..."

The woman was shaking from the effort of battling whatever it was that sought to use her.

"It wants me...to hurt her. Like...Haruka hurt Eriko..." She sobbed, swaying harder.

The knife in her hand dipped and weaver, a silver snake dancing above the unconscious girl.

"But you're not. You're not going to..." He murmured the words softly as he edged closer, slowly.

"You won't hurt Mai. She's like your daughter..."

The woman shuddered again, gripping the girl harder and Sato knew it there was only a moment or two left before Shibuya did something.

What, he wasn't sure.

But he got the feeling it would be bad to find out.

"My daughter..." Ayako crooned. She looked up tearfully.

"Houshou, I lost our baby..." She whimpered.

Sato sucked in a shocked breath as the man froze, eyes closing momentarily in pain.

"No, sweetie. We lost the baby. It wasn't your fault. It just happened." The words were said with the gentlest kind of love.

She shook her head, the motion strong enough to bring the knife perilously close to Taniyama's face, and the room's occupants froze again.

Ayako looked sadly and Takigawa.

"I can't have any more babies."

Something was building in the sudden silence, and Sato suddenly wanted to scream, to yell at Shibuya to do...whatever it was he was going to do because he could feel the malevolence of whatever was twisted inside of Ayako at that moment.

It was enjoying her pain...

But the stillness around Takigawa was different, somehow.

It had a calm clarity to it, like he had just realized something terribly important and terribly simple at the same time.

The moment seemed to stretch on forever.

"It doesn't matter." He said. "I just want you."

She shook her vehemently. "You want a family-"

"I want you. I always have. From the moment I saw you." His voice was certain.

"You wanted the baby..." She whispered.

He nodded. "I did. But never at the expense of you, Ayako."

"It's always been you, Ayako."

She was shaking so hard now her teeth were chattering.

"Give me the knife, sweetheart. Give me the knife, and you can relax, I'll do the rest, okay? Ayako..."

Slowly, so slowly, the woman's fingers unclenched.

The knife clattered to the ground.

Shibuya lunged for it while the Monk quickly wrapped both arms around Ayako. She'd started thrashing almost immediately, screaming and kicking.

She clearly lost the strength to battle whatever was possessing her, but the Monk didn't seem to care.

He wrapped both arms around her, doing his best to prevent her from harming herself.

"I'm here, I got you. I'm here. It's okay..."

Shibuya had passed the knife to Yasu, quickly scooping up Taniyama and removing her from the older woman's range. Following his lead, Yasu and Sato began dragging Lin from the room.

Thankfully, the older man was beginning to stir.

"Lin!" The man blinked sleepily.

Shibuya looked up from where he was crouched over Taniyama. His hands flew about, checking her vitals, looking at her pupils.

"We're going to need an exorcism, ASAP."

His hands were methodical, clinical, but somehow, looking at him at him reminded Sato of the Monk in the other room, the way he rocked and whispered.

"It's okay. I'm here..."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Ayako has filled the rest of the team in, once Lin had managed to tear the land sprite free of her.

"That stature they were given as a house warming gift was of Benzaiten. In Buddhism she can can be considered a patroness of music. But she's actually a syncretic Goddess. In Shinto, she can represent Rivers and emotion."

"The statue must have once been in or near a Shrine. At some point, a water sprite must have taken refuge inside. When the statue was gifted to the Kaidou family, the spirit was suddenly trapped, seven stories up, away from both the earth and any natural sources of water." She finished.

"It must have gone slowly mad, taking the Kaidou family along with it." Bou-San said, nodding in understanding. He was still hovering over Ayako, seeming unable to go more than a few feet from the woman's side. Ayako herself looked exhausted, shadows like deep bruises under her eyes.

Apparently she'd been trying to put her finger on what was bothering her since she'd first seen the video of the Kaidou family moving in. At the last minute, just before the exorcism had started, she had realized the Statue might have been part of the reason the Kaidou's Spirits were still trapped.

She'd gone upstairs to investigate, only realizing too late that she'd lost her protective amulet on the trip upstairs.

"If you had been any weaker, Mai and I would be dead." Lin said, obviously impressed that the Shrine Maiden had held off such an angry spirit by will power alone.

"Not strong enough." The woman said, closing her eyes in shame.

Mai went to her, hugging her instinctively.

She and Lin had been very lucky. Ayako had only had two sleeping pills left in her bag, just enough to knock the two of them out.

But when it had come down to it, the woman had literally fought a demon to try and protect Mai.

"Thank you." Mai whispered.

"You don't ever have to thank me, Mai." The woman said, hugging the girl back.

She felt Bou-San's hand on her shoulder.

She met Naru's eyes over Ayako's shoulder. He held her gaze, and for once she didn't look away.

Somehow, she didn't think she was going overseas anytime soon.


	21. Chapter 21

**Where The Light Enters: Intermission**

 **"** **The Foolish Scientist Falls In Love"**

 _ **I**_ _was chasing down the days of fear,_

 _Chasing down a dream before it disappeared_

 _I was aching to be somewhere near  
Your voice was all I heard_

 _I was shaking from a storm in me  
Haunted by the spectres that we had to see  
Yeah, I wanted to be the melody  
Above the noise, above the hurt_

 _I was young, not dumb  
Just wishing to be blinded  
By you, brand new  
And we were pilgrims on our way_

 _I woke up at the moment  
When the miracle occurred  
Heard a song that made some sense  
Out of the world  
Everything I ever lost  
Now has been returned  
In the most beautiful sound I'd ever heard_

 _We got language so we can communicate  
Religion so I can love and hate  
Music so I can exaggerate my pain  
And give it a name_

 _I woke up at the moment  
When the miracle occurred  
I get so many things I don't deserve  
All the stolen voices  
Will someday be returned  
The most beautiful sound I'd ever heard_

 _-The Miracle Of Joey Ramone_

 _By U2_

Mai smiled at her reflection in the mirror.

Tonight was going to be epic...

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

She pushed her way through the crowded club, clutching Masako's hand as she dragged the younger girl behind her.

Dancing around the other patrons, she spotted Ayako and waved, pushing through the crowd.

She laughed as she signaled the waiter. Two bottles of beer later, she, Masako and Ayako started cheering as Bou-San and the other band members came on stage.

The lead singer, Hibiki, strode forward, grabbing the microphone.

"Are you rockin' yet, Tokyo?" He yelled.

The crowd hollered back in response, Mai and Masako along with them.

"Norio!" She yelled, jumping up and down. "Whoaaa!"

"Before we get started, our Bassist, Norio..." Hibiki paused for a moment while the crowd cheered again.

Mai grinned.

Bou-San was popular...

"Norio has asked me to give a shout out to a certain...special lady in the crowd tonight..."

The crowd cheered again as Mai and Masako turned to a blushing Ayako.

"Ayako...this one's for you!"

Mai squealed, grabbing Ayako's hands and jumping with the beat.

Ayako was laughing and cheering...

The band started their set, and Mai lost herself in the night. She knew all the songs by heart by now, but it didn't matter.

They were good, the energy of the crowd was amazing, and for once, she let go.

Just her body, the music...and the knowledge that for once, she didn't have to hold the world up.

Just for tonight.

She threw her hands up, swaying with the beat. Beside her, Masako had finally relaxed enough to dance also.

Okay, the beer might have helped.

 _Screw it._

They were legal.

Suddenly a guy stumbled into Masako, nearly knocking her and Mai over. Mai managed to catch her, grateful she'd worn ankle boots instead of heels.

"Hey, watch out!" Mai said.

"Whatever, bitch..." The guy slurred and Mai considered tripping him, just a little.

Then he caught sight of Masako, and his eyes narrowed. He pushed his face into hers, and she cringed in disgust.

"Hey, you're cute...do I know you?" He reached out to touch her hair and she jerked back.

"I don't think so..." She said, edging closer to Mai.

Mai looked around. Ayako was making her way towards them, but the crowd was thick. It would be a minute or two before she'd reach them.

Naturally, there were no bouncers to be seen.

Ruefully, she glanced at her and Masako's t-shirts. The drunk obviously couldn't read.

She sighed.

She didn't want to deal with this tonight...

The guy reached for Masako again and Mai reached out to block his hand, but before she could, a hand grabbed his wrist.

"She's not available." Yasu said, the slightest edge to his usual smile. His glasses glinted in the flashing stage lights.

"Out of the way, four-eyes..." The guy said, swinging with his free hand at Yasu's face. Behind her, she heard Masako gasp.

Mai only grinned.

Yasu sidestepped the swing easily, his own grin widening. With a neat flick of his wrist, he'd managed to twist the drunk's arm up behind the man's back.

The drunk howled, dropping to his knees as Yasu increased pressure.

"Let me make it clearer." He pulled upwards on the man's arm, just a little more.

The man whimpered.

"The lady's with me. Is that a problem?"

The man shook his head frantically. "I didn't meant any harm dude. I'll leave your girl alone..."

Yasu released him, coming to stand in between the girls and the drunk.

"Yes. You will." His smile was friendly, but his eyes were dancing.

Ayako had stopped in her tracks on the other side of the man, mouth hanging open.

Mai looked behind her, at an equally stunned Masako.

"Bathroom. Now!" Mai said, dragging Masako behind her.

They burst through the bathroom door in a fit of nervous giggles.

"Okay.." Mai said, holding up her hand as she fought to catch her breath.

"I might be drunk, but Masako, that was-"

"Hot." Ayako said from the door. "Seriously, seriously hot. Like, if I wasn't dating the bassist, I'd be jumping on that hot!"

She walked over to the two younger girls. Mai giggled as Masako blushed again, covering her face.

"It really was, wasn't it?" Her voice was muffled behind her fingers.

"Masako, if you don't go out there right now and do something about this, I will never forgive you.." Mai threatened, laughing as she pushed a squeaking Masako out the door.

"Go! Use that insanely short skirt to conquer! I believe in you!" She closed the door behind Masako quickly, turning to laugh some more when she saw Ayako's grinning face.

"My god. It's finally happening!" Ayako said. "I thought we were going to have to lock them in a room together!"

"I'd already starting looking for a room." Mai said, breaking into giggles again.

"Speaking of short skirts, has Bou-San actually seen your dress yet?" Mai asked, wide eyed as she looked Ayako up and down.

Was that dress even legal?

"Well, he hasn't fallen off the stage yet, so I'm guessing he hasn't found me in the crowd." Ayako said with a confident smile.

Looking at her dress again, Mai decided that Ayako deserved every bit of that confidence.

"And you! Are those jeans painted on?" Ayako asked with her brow arched. "You might be the one to give him a heart attack tonight. You know how he can be..."

Mai shrugged, wide eyes blinking innocently. "It's just a t-shirt and jeans..."

Ayako snorted. Then she frowned. "Mai, I'm glad to see you out and having fun. But is everything okay? You've seemed a little down lately..."

Mai smiled, shaking her head. "I've just been a little tired. But tonight is going to be amazing. Now, march out there and give Bou-San a coronary. You're a Doctor. Think of the possibilities..."

Ayako laughed as she walked out of the bathroom, shaking her head.

Mai glanced at her reflection once more before leaving.

She did seem different...

Something in her eyes was just a little bit...wild.

And she absolutely was not thinking about that stupid almost-kiss between her and Naru.

And she definitely wasn't thinking about how he'd spent the last two weeks at the office acting like it hadn't happened.

She wasn't thinking about that at all.

Not even a little.

She was tired of thinking.

She pushed open the bathroom door, relishing the crush of energy that overwhelmed her.

It was the furthest thing she could imagine from that quiet moment in the Kaidou's music room, when Naru had played the piano for her.

She knew he'd hate someplace like this the way a cat hated water.

But she relished the rush and the crowd.

She let it melt into her, grabbing another bottle of beer from a circulating waiter.

She didn't want to hold the world up tonight.

She wanted to dance.

"Fancy meeting you here." A familiar voice had her turning with a smile.

Sato stood there, looking not too shabby in his own t-shirt and jeans, a bottle hanging from his own fingers.

"Sato..." She looked him up and down. "Are you sure you're old enough to be drinking that?"

Though, thinking back to the antics she and Yasu had gotten into during his "rough" phase, she probably shouldn't judge.

He tilted his head, a smirk on his lips. "Do you really care?"

She took a drink from her own bottle.

"Not tonight."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Read 'em and weep, boys." Mai said smugly, laying her cards down to a round of groans.

She'd warned them not to play cards with a psychic...

A loud knocking at the door had the four of them laughing loudly.

"Shit up, guys. What if it's my landlord?" Ryu asked, still laughing.

Mai jumped up. "Then I'll take him out with a charm offensive." She winked, closing the living room door behind her as she entered the entry way. Opening the front door, her jaw dropped.

 _Huh_.

Maybe that was why her phone had kept vibrating...

"Hi...boss." She tried to keep a straight face, but failed.

 _He. Looked. So. Pissed_.

She laughed.

"Glad to see my entire team hasn't actually died, since no one has been answering her phones." Naru ground out coldly, displeasure coloring his voice.

"Still kicking." Mai said helpfully.

"Do you know where everyone else is? We've taken a case and need to head out tomorrow." He stated. His eyes narrowed. "You've been drinking?"

"Well, Ayako is with Bou-San. I doubt they're going to answer their phones tonight. Lin is right beside you. John is probably at the church. And I'm right here!" She threw up her hands, pleased with herself.

"Why are you answering Yasu's door? Where's Masako?" Naru asked sternly.

"They...are...currently unavailable for comment." She said helpfully.

He pushed past her, into the entryway.

"Whoa!" She said, stepping in front of him, putting a hand to his chest. "Where do you think you're going?"

He glared at her. "I don't know exactly why my whole team appears to be drunk-"

"I'm pretty sure John is _NOT_ drunk right now." She interjected helpfully.

"But," He continues on, ignoring her, "Yasu obviously needs to get this situation under control."

"Oh, no. Just stop right there." Mai's voice had taken on a manic edge. "I don't think you grasp the situation. So let me spell it out for you. My OTP is currently back in the bedroom, hopefully doing something that requires an "M" rating, and the fandom approves. Are you hearing this, Davis? The fandom APPROVES. The ship has sailed, and so help me, if you interrupt them right now, I'll cut you."

"I don't even understand what you're saying right now." Naru scowled. "What are you doing, drinking alone while they...aren't around." He finished awkwardly.

She arched a brow. "Who said I'm alone? Yasu has two roommates."

His face darkened. "And he left you alone with them while you're drunk?"

He sighed, closing his eyes as he rubbed his forehead in consternation. "Fine. I'll call them in the morning."

He grabbed her arm. "Come on, Lin and I will take you home."

She shook him off, scowling. Stalking over to the living room door, she asked "Why would I go home?"

She shoved open the living room door, revealing three young men in nothing more than their boxers and socks.

She grinned ferally. "I'm winning."

Ryu looked up. "If you want to be dealt in, it'll cost you a six pack."

She crossed her arms, smiling smugly at her boss.

"Sato?" Naru asked, brows raising.

"Hey guys.." Sato said awkwardly as he sat on Yasu's couch shirtless.

And pantless.

But hey, he still had both his socks, which was one sock more than Tamaki.

"Is he even old enough to drink?" She heard Lin murmur.

"Madoka thought it'd be good to teach me cards a few years ago." She supplied helpfully.

She saw Naru shoot Lin an accusing look, and she chuckled.

So those two _did_ still see each other.

Fun fun fun...

"Anyway, as you can see, I have everything under control here."

Indeed. She hadn't even lost so much as a sock yet.

"I'm taking you home." Naru said flatly.

"Like hell. You don't own me, Davis." She said sweetly. "Stay and play, or I'll see you in the morning..."

She walked back to her seat, scooping up the cards. "Winner shuffles."

Naru stood there in the doorway, annoyance radiating off him. Behind him, Lin looked like he had a monster of a headache.

"Hey, Mai." Ryu said, oblivious to the room's sudden tension.

"When are you going to go out with me?"

She snorted. "When hell freezes over. Or you beat me at cards, whichever comes first."

"Deal me in." Naru said, suddenly at her side. His voice, his whole demeanor in fact, was suddenly calm. She looked at him suspiciously.

"What's the catch?" She said.

With Naru, there was ALWAYS a catch.

"No tricks. One round. I win, you let me take you home. You win, I leave and you stay." He said impassively.

"And if one of us wins, Mai goes on a date with them." Ryu crowed, gesturing at himself and the other two.

Mai and Naru completely ignored him, however.

Their gazes locked on each other, a silent battle was taking place.

"Okay." She agreed after a moment, and he smiled.

She was just tired and drunk enough to find the idea of going home appealing, but she'd be damned if she let him boss her around.

she was going to make him work for it, at least.

He was obviously going to win.

She just wasn't show how he'd do it.

Was he naturally good at cards? Would he use his powers? Perhaps he'd employ the slight of hand she'd seen him use on occasion.

Card counting? He was smart enough, but it wouldn't work with only one round...

But she had no doubt he'd win.

She just couldn't figure out why he'd bother. Did he really think she'd get so drunk she wouldn't be able to work tomorrow?

She'd been on her own too long not to have learned her own limits. Hangovers sucked, so she drank just enough to stay in the happy-tipsy range.

So what was his deal?

She dealt the round quickly, knocking back the last of her beer as she did so.

She was going home after this, might as well enjoy her last moments of freedom.

"One round, winner takes all?" Ryu said, leering at her.

She kept her face straight, but Naru didn't bother to hold his smirk.

A moment later, Ryu's voice rose incredously.

"Royal Flush?"

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Mai sang softly as she bounced down the stairs.

Naru had cheated.

He had soooo cheated. But neither she or any of the others had been able to catch him at it, and she giggled.

"You're going to fall." Naru warned behind her.

She laughed. "Then I'll just get up again."

She heard him sigh behind her.

"Oh!" She stopped suddenly.

"What now?" Naru asked.

"I left my phone upstairs..." She started to turn back, but he stopped her.

"Go downstairs and wait with Lin. It'll be faster if I get it." He said tiredly.

"Your wish is my command!" She sang, laughing as she continued forward.

She could feel Lin hovering beside her, obviously waiting for her to fall as Naru had predicted, but for once, she made it downstairs without incident.

Maybe she should drink more often...

They opened the door into the warm night air.

"What time is it?" She asked, stretching her arms up.

She was pretty tired, actually.

How annoying was it that the Narcissist has again had pretty good timing?

"Late." Lin answered simply, and she shook her head, smiling.

She settled on the top step to wait for Naru. Lin continued down the steps, stopping next to the car.

"I get the feeling Naru disapproves of my drinking..." She said idly, leaning back on her hands to study the stars. "I guess he doesn't do stuff like this, huh?"

"Noll's powers require a degree of control that doesn't allow for things like...being buzzed." The word sounded so awkward coming from Lin she laughed.

"No." She said, after a moment. "I guess not."

"Does alcohol make it harder for you to control your own powers?" Lin asked, sounding like he was genuinely curious.

She shrugged. "Bou-San warmed me years ago that it might. That's why he was the one to get me drunk the first time. He said he could handle any crazy stuff I might pull. Plus, he said I needed to learn to handle my alcohol so some guy couldn't get me drunk and take advantage of me. But usually I just get happy, and then I get sleepy."

"I...see." Lin said, sounding slightly embarrassed.

"What does your shirt say?" He asked suddenly, and she got the feeling he was trying to change the subject.

Bad choice, Lin...

She laughed again. "Boy, you really are bad at reading kanji, aren't you?"

The older man was too polite to point out to her that the lettering was positioned across her chest.

"It says 'mess with me, and the bassist breaks your legs'. More or less. He had them made special for me, Masako and Ayako to wear to his show tonight."

Thinking about it still made her laugh so hard it was hard to breath.

"But he accidentally ordered Ayako's too big. Like, way, way too big." She was gasping as tears ran down her face now.

"So..Ayako gave it to Yasu...as a joke." She was doubled up in laughter now. "And...he wore it tonight! Bou-San choked on his drink when he saw it..."

Lin stood staring at her for a moment.

Then...

 _ **He laughed**_.

Her eyes widened as the door opened behind her.

She turned to Naru, grinning in triumph.

"I got Lin to laugh."

Naru froze, but instead of looking at his assistant...

He just watched her.

Her smile faded.

"Naru?"

"Let's get you home." He said finally.

His voice was...different.

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Oliver stared out the window, watching the sun rise slowly.

If he'd turned his head just a little, he could see his open bedroom door, and the girl sleeping there peacefully.

She'd fallen asleep almost before the car had left it's space in front of Yasu's building. He'd expected Lin to balk when Oliver had told him to just drive them to their building, but he'd simply shot Oliver a knowing look.

He'd unlocked Oliver's door for him as he'd carried the sleeping girl inside, and then he'd gone down the hall to his own apartment.

Oliver had removed her shoes and covered her with a light blanket.

Then he'd made himself a cup of tea, and sat down on his sofa.

The tea had grown cold hours ago, but he was no closer to understanding things then when he had first sat down.

" _What's the most beautiful thing you've ever seen?"_

The question had startled him.

He was well traveled. His parent had made it a point to expose him and Gene to art and music and architecture.

He'd seen numerous things that by anyone's standards would be considered beautiful.

But nothing like that had ever stirred an emotion in him so strong he could classify it as the "most beautiful".

As a scientist, he didn't prefer to classify anything using imperfect criteria such as "most" or "beautiful".

And certainly, nothing he'd ever seen had been enough to "knock his socks off" or "take his breath away".

But he'd felt things...things that had made him still inside for a moment.

He didn't think they could be classified as beautiful by any means, however.

Death was an old friend of his. His psychometry had left him with visions of pain and death from a very early age.

How many times had someone come to him, begging for help, only to have their hearts broken when he finally found the person they were looking for too late.

He'd come to dread it, the moment he would be approached by some pleading spouse or parent.

Inevitably, he'd give in, however.

It was one of the reasons he chose to keep his identity a secret here in Japan.

But rarely...every once in while...

He found the person in time.

And the _relief_ , that sharp edged thankfulness that for once he wasn't too late, that fear that morphed into gratitude that for once he was more than just a messenger of death...

That was probably the closest thing he could have described as the "most beautiful."

The way a parent looked when the police emerged from a cave with their lost child, or the way a wife looked when her husband was found lost in the woods, injured but still ALIVE...

That had always been his true definition of beauty.

He hadn't known how to relay that to Mai, that night. And even if he had, he'd known it wasn't what she was asking.

He knew she'd understand.

She walked too close to death too often not to.

But somehow she could still look at normal, everyday things and see the beauty.

She didn't need shadows in order to differentiate light, as he seemed to.

She had looked at Ayako's happiness, and instinctively, she'd recognized it as a precious thing, something deserving of the term "most beautiful."

He wasn't like that.

Wasn't able to do that.

Until tonight.

He sometimes felt like he'd spent years of his life chasing after Mai Taniyama. She had a habit of falling down a hole and somehow saving the world while she was at it.

It was unexplainably effective, her ability to close cases.

To somehow fix things.

She terrified him, sometimes.

She was wiser than she used to be, but she still left herself so vulnerable. She was open, and it was why the spirits targeted her.

He couldn't count the number of times he'd gotten to her just before something horrible had happened.

Couldn't count the number of times that sharp edged fear had melted into bright relief.

But tonight...

Tonight, she hadn't needed saving.

He could pretend otherwise, but the truth was, he'd removed her from a situation that had made _him_ uneasy.

Mai had been on her own for years now. She could handle herself in situations like tonight.

It had been for his own peace of mind, more than anything.

But when he'd walked out of the building, she'd been sitting there, laughing.

She looked at him, so pleased with herself, and for the first time...

 _Everything stopped._

He hadn't needed the fear or the worry as a counterpoint to her light.

There was no danger, no angry ghosts or vengeful spirits.

No villain to fight.

Just a girl laughing under the starlight.

" _What's the most beautiful thing you've ever seen."_

He knew he was attracted to Mai. He'd accepted that long ago, and then promptly ignored it.

Attraction was just a biological imperative. It held no power unless he gave into it.

He also accepted that he cared for her.

That had been a little harder to recognize, mostly because it had happened quietly, when he wasn't paying attention. She reached parts of him most people didn't. Even Gene, his own twin, hadn't manage to connect that well with him.

But he accepted that humans were social creatures. They were pack animals and even someone like him, who didn't integrate well with others, was bound to encounter people who would "bond" with him.

Call it friendship or whatever, he accepted that he cared for others and was cared about in turn.

Mai had long been in this category as well.

For some, he knew, these feelings would have been termed "romantic".

But he considered himself too rational to need the trappings of romance to legitimize his needs.

He wanted her safe.

Accepted.

There were times when he enjoyed her company.

Accepted.

There was a degree of physical attraction between them.

Accepted.

But he had never even considered something as irreverant as "falling in love".

Not in relation to his own self, at least.

And until now, these... _feelings_ , while certainly having some bearing on his actions, had never changed him in any integral way.

Until now.

Because, though he could not explain why, he was never the less certain that something, inside him somewhere, was different.

 ** _He_** was different.


	22. Chapter 22

A/ **n: Soooo, How did everyone like the Intermission? Are you now asking yourselves, what could make this story better? How about a handsome movie star and a haunted mansion?**

 **Oh yes, I did. Haunted cellar, fabulous pool scene, jealous guys...**

 **And ghosts.**

 **This case was actually not part of my original outline. But then, neither was Lin's case, and I ended up really happy with it. So I'm giving it my best shot! Plus, I know a few couples who need to be locked in a room together, so a mansion seemed in order, lol.**

 **Enjoy! And please review! There are only two cases left after this one, and I'm kind of hoping to get the story to 200 reviews. The GH fandom is small but surprisingly active, and it's been a real treat to write for you guys. This chapter should push my personal total word count on this site to just over half a million words, which I'm pretty stoked about.**

 **So while is a short chapter, it is a milestone for me!**

 **As always, Not My Sandbox (I have officially typed this so many times my phone automatically formats it for me!)**

 **Where The Light Enters**

 **"** **All That Glitters** "

Mai walked out of the bathroom quietly, toweling of her hair.

( _She was not freaking out_.)

The living room was empty, but the bedroom door-

( _Naru's door. Naru's BEDROOM door...)_

Was closed.

( _Not freaking out_.)

He was probably just changing.

( _Not even a little_.)

Now that she was done sleeping...

"Oh, my kami-sama." She said aloud to the empty room.

She walked over to the kitchen island in a daze, sitting at one of the stools numbly.

How drunk had she been last night?

But it didn't make sense because she remembered _everything_.

Well, everything but the part where she woke up (still fully clothed, thank you kami-sama), in her Boss's bed trying to convince herself that obviously some random hotel room would smell like tea.

And Naru.

 _His bed smelled like him-_

She groaned, putting her head down on the island.

Her phone chirped again.

She glanced down in fatigue.

Her brows raised in confusion when she saw the SOS from Yasu.

"Can't get any weirder." She murmured, flipping open his phone.

" _Yasu-"_

 _"_ _Huh?"_

 _ **What**_ _?"_

 _"_ _No, he didn't ?"_

 _"_ _I'm going to kill him."_

 _"_ _See you soon..."_

She stared blankly at her phone, then giggled a little frantically.

 _"_ _I swear to god, Mai. There's a pounding on the door, Masako dives under the covers, I open the thing in my boxers thinking it's that jerk Ryu, and it's_ _ **big boss**_ _. And the guy doesn't even bat an eye at my studly nakedness, no. He just looks at me like I'm a bug, under a rock, and then he coolly informs me that if I ever leave you alone in a situation like that again, it won't be my paycheck he docks. And you know what, Mai?_ _ **I believed him**_ _. You, my best friend, are never drinking again_."

Yasu's words echoed in her head and she groaned again.

A cup of tea was set in front of her face and she startled, looking at it suspiciously before looking up at her boss.

He paused, seemingly started by the intensity of her gaze.

"I...only have Earl Grey. Is that alright?" He said after a moment.

Not " _Hey, I know it's weird that you woke up at my place, but this is what happened_..."

Or " _So the really logical reason you're at my place and not yours is_..."

Or even " _Aliens blew up your apartment last night and it was easier to just bring you here._.."

Just " _Here's some tea and a case file._ _ **Ignore the kidnapping**_ _._ "

"Earl Gray is fine." She said belatedly.

She looked around, floundering desperately for something to say...

"So, about...( _last night, about last night_ ) ...the case?" She said.

Screw it. If he could act like this was normal so could she.

She'd just drink the damn tea...

A knock interrupted them, and Lin let himself in.

He had a look on his face like a man walking into a hostage negotiation he expected to go badly.

"I brought food." He said, laying a bag down on the island.

The discomfited look on the man's face actually soothed Mai's nerves a little.

Lin recognized that this whole scenario was weird, even if Naru was steadfastly ignoring it.

"We've been contacted by a client wanting us to investigate the possible haunting of his family's country estate." Naru said, sliding a folder over to her.

"Country estate?" She said, verbally toying with the English phrasing.

What kind of family had a 'country estate'?

She flipped open the folder.

"Shit. Seriously?"

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The three youngest SPR members stood in front of the mansion in wide eyed shock.

"I'm...actually kind of nervous." Masako admitted.

"I'm afraid to touch anything." Yasu agreed.

"I'm just staying in the car." Mai said.

She was pretty sure she couldn't afford trip and fall inside a place like this.

"The Sanda Mansion. Exciting, huh kids? You guys were still too young to remember it when she went missing fifteen years ago, but Miyazawa Sanda was...well. She was Miyazawa Sanda." Bou-San said coming up behind them. "She was like an old Hollywood Starlet. She couldn't go to the store without it being a media circus. That was why it was so baffling when she disappeared without a trace."

"Every moment of her life since she started acting as a child had been documented by about a hundred different cameras. Everyone wanted a piece of her." Ayako said in agreement.

"And no one had any clue what happened to her?" Mai asked, looking upwards at the multi-story building in front of them.

How many rooms could this place have?

Even John was looking around with wide eyes.

"The police exhausted every possibility." Naru said, joining them. "They questioned her husband, her co-stars, the domestic help. They went through her fan mail."

"And they never found her." Masako murmured.

"Not even a trace of conclusive foul play." Bou-San said. "There were all kinds of conspiracies. The police couldn't even prove definitively that she hadn't just run away."

Mai swallowed. "And, who hired us, exactly?"

Naru met her eyes. "Her son."

Everyone gaped at him.

"R-Reo Sanda, _is our client_?" Ayako was the one who finally managed to speak.

"Is that a problem?" Naru asked in a bored voice.

Mai started laughing.

She couldn't help it. This day was simply too weird.

Maybe she was still asleep...

"Good evening!" A deep voice greeted them suddenly.

Mai laughed again.

What else could she do when _Reo Sanda_ was greeting them from the steps of his massively oversized mansion.

She saw Naru shoot her a look and she just shrugged helplessly.

She was so far out of her league, and the others didn't seem to be doing much better.

Even Masako, with all her experience with fame, looked to be at a loss.

"Shibuya-San, thank you again for coming on such short notice. I hope my urgent request didn't inconvenience you all too much. I'm Reo Sanda. Shibuya-San, Lin-San, it's good to see you again. Hara-San, I recognize you from your show, of course." He smiled at her charmingly, and she blushed.

Beside Mai, Yasu shifted uncomfortably. Mai felt bad for him, but she couldn't hold it against the girl.

 ** _Reo-freaking-Sanda..._**

"This is Father Brown, Ayako Matsuzaki, and Houshou Takigawa. They consult for SPR, as does Hara-San. And Yasuhara-San and Taniyama-San are part time investigators with our organization." Naru made the introductions quickly, unfazed by the presence of the celebrity before them.

"Ghost hunting must be like acting." Reo said, looking at their motley group. "The younger the better."

Naru just tilted his head. "I believe you'll find our Team more than capable."

Reo smiled blindingly. "I'm sure you're right. Please, come on in."

Mai gripped Bou-San's hand. "Do not _lose me_ , or _let me fall_ , or anything else _**embarrassing**_ , I'm begging you." She muttered.

He chuckled, hugging her with one arm as they followed the others in. "No worries, jou-chan. As your honorary big brother, I won't allow you to embarrass yourself in front of the movie star."

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The study looked like something straight out of an old movie. Deep leather sofas, shelves lined in books. There was even a decanter of brandy.

The SPR members were spread out across the various sofas. Mai found herself between Naru and Yasu, and while it was comforting...

Why weren't Masako and Yasu sitting beside each other?

In fact, it seemed like they could barely meet each other's eyes...

"As I explained yesterday, I have reason to believe this house is haunted. By my mother's ghost, to be precise." Reo said casually, as if he were discussing the weather.

Mai looked at him in consternation. While ghosts were normal for them, most people outside of their field were a little more...

"You seem awfully calm about it." John said, smiling.

Reo shrugged. "I grew up staying in this house during school breaks. It's nothing new to me."

Ayako frowned. "Then why the sudden urgency?"

Reo smiled secretly. "I have reasons, personal reasons, I'm afraid. I trust you can understand how difficult it is for a man in my position to maintain his privacy. But in all honesty, though I grew up here, I'm not particularly fond of this house."

"Then why not sell it?" Naru asked the question idly, but Mai wasn't fooled.

Naru always had a reason.

"I believe my Mother's body is somewhere on this estate. I can't simply sell it to some stranger knowing that." Reo replied.

"Do you...not believe the police did a thorough investigation?" Mai was proud that she only stuttered a little.

He shrugged again. "I was only a child at the time. But this whole place was a circus. Who knows what evidence could have been lost or damaged."

Naru looked at him intently. "Just what do you believe happened to your mother, Sanda-San?"

Reo looked back at him squarely.

"I think my father killed her."

Mai blinked.

Well that escalated quickly.

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"Normally, the House has a staff of twelve indoor and four outdoor personnel." Reo explained as he showed them to the wing set aside for their use. "Due to the nature of your investigation, however, I've let all the staff have a vacation this week. The security staff have to stay on, as you can imagine, but they sleep in the security building at the main gate. They'll patrol the grounds periodically, but other than that, it will just be us." Reo opened a door.

"To be clear, then. No one is on the premises now that was present during your mother's disappearance, yourself excluded?" Naru asked.

Mai wondered if he was thinking about Aihara. Lately, their investigations had overlapped with criminal investigations with possible subjects who were not only still alive, but might want to protect their secrets.

"That's correct." Reo said, turning down another hall.

"The pantry and kitchen, and other amenities are at your disposal, of course, as long as you don't mind cooking for yourselves." He added.

She was going to get lost...

It was already pretty much a sure thing.

"Oh, and feel free to use the pool. It's indoors, you can see the pool house from the kitchen." He turned around one last corner.

"How many bedrooms are you needing, total? Would you each prefer to have your own?" He asked.

Naru glanced around, and they shrugged. "If you have enough, that's fine. So long as they can be in the same hall."

The ghost Reo believed to be his mother had never shown the smallest inclination towards violence. It had always been little things, cold spots and the like, that had led Reo to believe her spirit was still there.

So for once the team didn't have to be on red alert every single second.

Reo grinned. "Once thing this place doesn't lack for is space. This hall has several bedrooms, and these two adjoin, if that helps."

Naru nodded. "Mai, Masako, I'd prefer it if you two took those then. Keep the door open if needed. Lin and I will take the two across the hall from you."

Mai and Masako looked at each other and shrugged. It sounded like Naru was trying not to be over cautious while still being careful.

They entered the first room, shutting the door behind them. Mai walked over to the adjoining door, opening it to reveal a second, equally beautiful guest room.

Each room had a full bathroom. Gorgeous arched windows let in the natural light.

She turned to Masako, silently mouthing "I can't believe it! I can't believe it!" Masako grinned, clasping Mai's hands as they jumped softly up and down.

" _Reo Sandra's guest room._.." Mai squealed quietly.

" _Reo Sanda's kitchen_!" Masako hissed.

" ** _Reo Sanda's pool_**!" Mai said. "No. no, stop. Masako, I'm am seriously fan hurling right now. One of us has to be professional here. You're a TV celebrity yourself!"

Masako shook her head. "Daytime TV is NOT the same thing as **_Reo Greek God Sanda_** , Mai. This is a whole other level, even for me!"

A loud knock on the door had both girls jumping in surprise.

"Do you two have yourselves under control yet?" Ayako said with a smirk.

"No."

"Not really."

Ayako sighed. "I know a couple of guys who aren't going to like this..." She muttered under her breath quietly.

"Naru wants us back downstairs to go over the case details." She said at her normal volume.

" _Reo Sanda_!"

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

By the time that they had made it back downstairs (only getting lost twice, thank you), the others had made it back to the study.

Mai cringed as Maru shot them an annoyed look before turning back to their client.

"Sanda-San, the police cleared your father as a possible suspect. Can you tell us why you suspect him?" He asked neutrally.

Reo sat back, eyeing Naru just as coolly.

Mai got the feeling he was more than just a pretty face.

"As I said, I was only a child when my mother went missing. But even children have eyes and ears." He said after a moment.

"Did your parents fight a lot?" Mai asked without meaning to. She couldn't help but flash back to the Kaidou case for a moment.

She wasn't sure she was ready for that.

"They did." Reo turned his full gaze on her and she forced herself not to squirm. "My mother was a social butterfly who grew up in the limelight. My father, though a celebrated author in his own right, was no match for her. They were too different. He was jealous, and always tried to hold her back. The fights could get quite loud."

"Yet the police cleared him?" Yasu asked, frowning.

"They had no choice. No body, no evidence of foul play. There were no grounds to convict." Reo said the words coldly.

Mai looked at him doubtfully.

This was his father he was accusing. How was he so calm?

"Where is your father now?" Ayako asked.

"Away." Reo said shortly. "His health has been poor for some time now."

He handed a thick file to Naru. "These documents were compiled by my personal investigator. The second file, the blue one, documents all the the supernatural phenomena experience by myself, guests or staff."

"Not to cut this meeting short, but I need to head to a dinner meeting. Please feel free to phone the security building should you require any assistance.


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: Okay, still no ghosts! Sorry about that. Things will get creepier next chapter. But, I still think this case has some interesting quirks. Don't hate Yasu. People do stupid crap when they suddenly get something they really want and then get scared. He has his reasons. His back story won't be as dramatic as everyone else's, but it's very real to him, and led to him and Mai being so close.**

 **Plus, it will ultimately lead him to Masako.**

 **As always, reviews are love. I've pretty much wrote the equivalent of a novel on my IPhone at this point.**

 **Not My Sandbox!**

 **Where The Light Enters**

 **"** **Fears, Tears and Falling Stars** "

Mai frowned as she took her turn looking through the folders Reo had given them. The team was settled into the huge walk-in kitchen. They'd decided to use the breakfast nook for their bank of monitors.

The boys set up the computers while Ayako and Masako cooked.

For the sake of the team, Mai did _not_ cook.

"These are incredibly detailed." Mai said, going through the case notes.

It was a scene straight out of a movie. A famous celebrity couple has a loud argument. Her husband storms out of the house. All the help see him go. Their child is away at school. She settles in for the night. A storm comes through late that evening, knocking a tree across their private drive, delaying the husband's return until morning.

But by then, the Starlet was gone.

"She was so pretty." Mai added, holding up a picture of Miyazawa.

"She really was." Ayako agreed from the stove. "Their wedding was actually a pretty big deal. It was a couple of years before I was born, but my Mom used to talk about it. They were practically like Royalty, you could say. They met on set when Fujio came to work on the scrip they had turned his book into. She played the lead. I should rent it for you kids sometimes."

Masako worked silently, but Mai could see her shoot Yasu the occasional glance.

Was it just her, or was the energy between the two of them kind of weird...

She turned back to the case file. Some cold spots. Missing objects. The occasional sighting of a woman walking through the house. The case seemed interesting to her, but...

Mai frowned, looking at her boss.

He seemed to feel her eyes on him, as he looked up immediately.

Had he always done that? Known exactly when she was trying to get his attention? It had seemed back in high school like she could have chucked a brick at his head and he wouldn't have noticed...

Unless the brick was haunted, of course.

He cocked his head. "Yes, Mai?"

She opened her mouth, picking her words with care. "I guess, I just...so, why are we here exactly?"

The others looked at her in confusion, except for Lin, who nodded just the tiniest bit, a gleam of what might be called appreciation in his eyes.

"Actually." It was John who came to her rescue. "If I'm honest, I wondered that a bit meself. Perhaps it's because I didn't grow up in Japan. I can appreciate the high profile nature of this case, but it sounds like we're here to find a body."

Mai nodded, glad John was able to word her question a little more clearly.

"Exactly. We prove the existence of spirits, and try to help them move on. But Reo seems like his agenda is...different." She said.

Naru smiled at her, and she blinked.

 **One more time for the people in the back-**

 ** _Naru smiled at her._**

"That's very good. Mai. You've gotten better. I'm sure you all noticed how thin the file is containing documented supernatural phenomena. And Mai's right. Whatever we do find may certainly not be what Sandra-San wants. We all signed confidentiality contracts for this case, but the client's rights to privacy have no bearings on our findings. The answers we find will be what we present, regardless of his expectations. I made that very clear when he came to the office."

Mai nodded. "Okay, but why then? This just doesn't seem like our normal case."

"Have any of you noticed anything strange about this house?" Naru asked, coming to stand beside Mai at the table.

Yasu walked over as well, but instead of standing near Masako, like she expected, he stood near John...

They all paused in thought, looking around at each other. Other than the tour Reo had given them, they had only walked through enough of the mansion to set some monitors and thermometers.

She personally had senseD nothing that whole time, but she had thought little of it.

Not every spirit was going to single her out personally.

S _he hoped_.

Curious now that Naru had asked, Mai closed her eyes, centering herself as she tried to feel anything.

Around her, she could sense Ayako, Bou-San, John and Masako doing the same.

"They trees are complacent, but quiet." Ayako said.

"I don't sense any aggression." John added.

"It's strange. I feel like there may be a spirit here, but I'm having trouble seeing them. It's like there's a fog in the way..." Masako said in confusion.

"It's staticky." Mai said in surprise. She's barely been able to sense Gene, and since he could come to her own plane, the location shouldn't have had any effect on him.

"It's the stone." Bou-San said, snapping his fingers. "Some kind of quartz in the ground, maybe?"

"Oh, of course." Ayako beamed at him.

Mai and the others just looked around confused.

"Close." Lin agreed, walking over with a chart that Mai recognized as a geological survey similar to the ones they used to measure land subsidence.

"Staurolite." Naru explained. "It's a mineral endemic to this part of Japan. It's actually an export, of sorts, as it's very popular among the psychic community."

"Fairy crosses?" Masako asked in understanding.

Naru nodded. "It's the same family. Staurolite has shielding properties. It interferes with Spirits, curses, spells, even psychic powers. Have any of you noticed a low level headache since we've arrived?"

Mai, Masako and Bou-San all raised their hands.

"I figured I was just a little hung over." Mai admitted sheepishly.

"So, the land around here is literally acting as a filter, just like our amulets?" Ayako asked thoughtfully.

"Not just the land." Naru explained. "The foundations and several sections of this estate are made from stone that was locally quarried."

Mai frowned.

How could they investigate like that? How could a spirit even manifest in that type of situation.

"It explains why none of the prior psychics who have come over the years have had any luck." Yasu said, flipping through the file.

Mai nodded in understanding. Over the years, numerous psychics or celebrity mediums like Masako has come in to try and investigate Miyazawa Sanda's disappearance. But none had ever managed to find a body.

Naru's face was smug. "Some of those people were undoubtedly charlatans. But even those who were truly talented lacked one key advantage that SPR has."

"We're a team?" Mai guessed, looking around at the other SPR members.

Naru nodded, placing a hand on her shoulder. It felt heavy and warm, and distressingly good.

She wanted him to leave it there forever.

 _She wanted to beat her head on the table in irritation with herself for reacting that way._

"Correct. The others always came alone, or with entourages that were made of normal researchers. There are enough psychic members on this team to hopefully build on each other's findings." Naru stated.

Mai shook her head a little, amused at the realization.

The Narcissist wanted to take on the challenge of a case no other psychic had solved.

Though the Staurolite alone probably made the case unique enough for him to view it as worth the study.

They ate quickly, dividing up in teams to do their first official walk through. Masako walked over to Yasu, smiling, but Yasu turned away, as if he hadn't seen her.

 _Oh no, he did not_...

"John, want to partner up?" He asked casually.

Every female on the team froze.

Masako's eyes widened slightly in hurt. "I think I left something in my room." She murmured, turning and hurrying out of the kitchen.

Mai met Ayako's eyes, and the older woman nodded.

Divide and conquer...

"Yasu, buddy. Let's go check the pool house." She said, grabbing her best friend's arm in an iron grip.

She saw Naru open his mouth but Bou-San quickly elbowed him in the side.

 _Good man._

 _ **Smart man**_ _._

"The...pool wasn't on the list of haunted areas..." Yasu trailed off nervously, looking at her face.

"Not yet." She agreed sweetly, dragging him out the door as Ayako hurried after Masako.

"Let's go check. Just to be sure."

Yasu barely had time to snag a radio off the counter before he was dragged outside.

Mai didn't release him until they were safely within the confines of the pool house.

"What the hell, Mai.." He asked, trying to take the offensive.

She just stared at him, a trick she had learned from Naru. Finally, he flushed a deep, dull red as he looked down, scuffing one shoe.

"Talk." She said firmly.

He sighed, running his hand through his hair.

She just waited. Finally he said "Do you see the size of this place?"

She snorted. "How could I miss it, Yasu. I'm pretty sure you can see it from space."

"Well, that's just it. Think about the kind of money a place like this takes. Look at me. Sure, I'm smart, but I'm not 'start a company in my garage and take over the world smart'. I'm not even 'already done with college like Naru is' smart."

She shook her head in confusion. What was he getting at?

"First of all, stop calling my best friend dumb. Secondly, why are you being a jerk to Masako?"

He sighed. "It's just...last night was so amazing. I've wanted to be with her for a long time."

"I know. Everyone knows." Mai said, shrugging.

"But there was a reason I never made a move. Even before the stalker thing. I knew it wouldn't work." He said in frustration.

Mai had a sinking feeling she knew where this was going.

Damn that Michiru...

"Yasu..." She faltered.

Was there a polite way to bash someone's ex-girlfriend?

"No, Mai. Let's look at it objectively. She has a loft apartment in one of the nicest parts of town, which she pays for herself. I'm barely paying for college, humping my ass for scholarships. She's already a professional. A famous, people point at her when she walks down the sidewalk celebrity. I live in an apartment the size of a shoe box with two other guys even I don't like that much. She speaks French, Mai. Because she's been to France. I can't even afford the kind of restaurants she eats at. Then there's everything else!" Yasu started pacing.

"Everything else?" Mai parroted, watching him stalk up and down the floor, his reflection shimmering in the still water of the pool beside him.

"I read Manga. She's never even been in that section of a bookstore. Her upbringing was traditional, mine was...well, you've seen my family in action. She's refined. I hit on Bou-San the day I met him because he put me in a bad mood. Half the time, we don't even understand what the other is talking about. We don't share any hobbies..." He trailed off, staring at her agitated.

She sighed. "Are you done?"

Her Naru impression was getting quite good, actually...

At his nod, she held out her hand. "Can I see the radio?"

He looked at her like she was crazy, but handed it over obediently.

Then she pushed him into the pool.

He came up sputtering.

"What the hell, Mai?" He straightened his glasses as he stood there in the chest high water, glaring at her.

"First of all. If you ever, _ever_ give a cold shoulder to a girl like that you just spent the night with, you had better pray it's not in front of me." She scowled.

"Secondly, none of that bullshit matters." She yelled the last part, good and mad herself now.

"How can you say it doesn't matter?" He yelled back, waving his arms. "We're nothing alike!"

"You guys don't have to be exactly alike. You don't have to have the same kind of jobs, or like the same things. She hates her parents, but yours love her, so that's just a non-point altogether. It doesn't matter if you have different experiences in your past. It's your future that counts. And you don't have to love or even like everything she does, and vice versa. You don't have to feel what she feels. You just have to love her for feeling that way." She paused, breathing hard from her tirade.

"Look at Ayako and Bou-San. They don't match, they complement. They make each other stronger. If it doesn't work between you and Masako, then so be it, but neither one of you deserve to have this thing, whatever it is, cut off at the ankles before you even give it a chance."

She looked at him angrily. "She's Not Michiru. And it's useless to pretend like you wouldn't jump in front of a train for her anyway. So you might as well give yourselves a chance!"

He stared at her, agape.

She glared back, unfazed.

"I'm an ass, aren't I?" He said after a moment.

She shrugged. "I imagine Ayako's going to use stronger words than that." And he was going to have to get through the red head to get to Masako...

He paled.

She nodded.

The impromptu swim was nothing compared to Ayako...

"Time to walk the gauntlet. Go apologize." She ordered sternly.

She only hoped Masako understood it was just Yasu's cold feet getting in the way of his heart.

They both deserved some happiness.

"Help me up?" He asked pitiably, wading to the side of the pool and holding up one hand.

She backed away, laughing.

"Nice try, the stairs are over there, buddy." Damned If she was walking around Reo Sanda's house like a drowned kitten.

He scowled as he waded towards the stairs, dribbling his way out the door.

Slow clapping started at the opposite end of the pool house, and Mai whirled, taken completely off guard.

 _Oh, dear kami..._.

Reo Sanda was leaning against the door to the changing room, chuckling as he surveyed her.

"Pretty good." He said, straightening. He looked just like he'd come off a movie set.

She was honestly used to good looking guys. John, Bou-San, Naru, Gene, Yasu, Sato...they were all good looking.

But good grief, this man was something else.

"You...saw all that...huh?" She stuttered.

If there was an Olympic Category for sounding like a moron in front of cute guys, she was surely on the podium.

"Yeah. Pretty much." He agreed with a grin.

Screw it. You have no dignity left anyway...

"So, on the plus side, you can officially consider your pool house exorcised." She said with a self deprecating smile.

"They wouldn't dare return." Reo said, coming to stand before her. "So, out of curiosity, is that a standard form of investigation in the ghost hunting community?"

"Just a little...HR thing. All better now." She said with a nod.

 _Naru was going to kill her and bury her body. The Staurolite would stop her ghost from telling anyone what had happened..._

"I'm sure it is." He turned and looked at the water and Mai squirmed.

"Look, please don't think less of the team. I shouldn't have done something like this on a case, it's just..." She trailed off.

She'd screwed up and let her temper get the best of her...

"Some of the best movies I have ever made happened on sets where the crew and cast had fun together." Reo said. "Practical jokes or fake-feuds are an important way to beat the stress. Talent's important, but so is the teamwork. I'd assume Ghost Hunting can be pretty stressful. SPR came highly recommended. I wanted the best, so I was prepared for some...eccentricities."

"That's not...inaccurate." Mai said with a laugh. The man obviously had a talent for putting people at ease.

"Everyone on our team is valuable. And if there are answers to be found, Naru will find them." She added.

"What about you? What do you do?" He asked curiously.

She shifted. "I make tea."

He laughed again.

"Seriously, though. I've been involved in this world for a while now. I've seen a lot." Years later, she still wasn't comfortable enough in her own abilities to talk about them easily.

Plus, how lame is it to say "I'm a professional nap taker?"

"Well, then I'm glad to have such an experienced team." Reo said, walking away.

"My Mother would have liked you." He called over his shoulder.

"Sanda-San!" Mai called suddenly, shocked at her own boldness.

But something was bothering her.

"What do you want more? To find your Mother or punish your Father?" She asked, searching his eyes.

He looked back at her solemnly.

"My Father is dying." He said baldly, stunning her. "The press hasn't caught word of it yet, but it's just a matter of weeks now. He has stage four colon cancer. Last week, when I visited him, he asked me...he asked me if I believed him, that he'd never hurt my Mother."

He swallowed, eyes suddenly distant. "My Mother was the most alive person I've ever met. She turned every day into a special occasion. She loved jokes and surprises. She adored puzzles and games. For my birthday, she'd hide my presents all over the estate. She'd never give any hints though. Not even when I begged. She trusted me to find the answers all on my own."

He looked at her. "It's time I found some answers."

He walked away while she watched.

What must it have been like, to be raised by one parent, when you suspected them of killing the other?

She started back towards the kitchen, slowing when she caught a glimpse of her own reflection in the pool.

Thinking back on what had happened in the Kaidou's music room, she came to a stop. Kneeling, she studied her reflection.

She didn't normally see spirits while awake. The whole case had been a roller coaster of emotions, so she'd never really taken the time to just stop and think about it.

Were mirrors capable of showing spirits to someone like her, who wasn't a medium?

"Mai." She startled, nearly falling in the pool herself before Naru gripped her arm, pulling her back towards him.

"What's up?" She asked, trying to calm her racing heart. The headache from earlier seemed a little stronger now, but she was probably just tired and a little dehydrated.

She felt his eyes on her, his gaze assessing.

"I'd like to do a seance tonight. Masako has agreed, and I think it will be a better starting point than simply chasing cold spots in a house like this. With all of us in the circle, it might be strong enough to draw the spirit into communicating." He said finally.

"Naru, have you communicated with Gene?" The question came from deep inside her, like a bubble of air shooting to the surface of a deep, dark lake.

She wanted to know, and yet she didn't.

"I...have." He said slowly, watching her with a keen gaze. "Over the years, I have communicated with him to a degree. It isn't always clear or easy. Time passes for me and not for him. But we've done our best."

"Why..." She swallowed, looking down. "Why do you think he hasn't moved on? Because you never found his killer?"

His silence washed over her, and she walked around him quickly.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked-"

His arm shot out, gripping her just above the elbow. "You might be the only one outside of our family who does have the right to ask."

He sighed, and his grip loosened, though he didn't let go of her completely. "He could be incredibly stubborn as a child. Even when what he wanted wasn't rational. He could be unmovable. I don't know for sure what it is he feels he needs to do, but until it's done, he's not going anywhere."

She stared at his hand where it wrapped around her arm. She was fair, but we had a shade lighter than her. Nothing about his long, elegant fingers seemed weak, though.

During their last case, she'd considered the possibility that his hand was the only thing linking her to reality.

Was that how he felt about her and Gene? She didn't want to be Gene's replacement, but how could she begrudge Naru the connection to his brother?

"Do you think he'll become a vengeful spirit if he's here too long?" She whispered it, the fear she'd held down for so long.

She wasn't sure what made her brave enough to say it.

Perhaps it was the knowledge that Naru didn't shy from the truth. Perhaps it was simply emotional exhaustion from holding all of her questions inside for so long.

Perhaps it was because that morning, when she'd awoken wrapped in his blanket and the scent of tea, she'd been confused, horribly confused.

But she'd also felt safe.

He might not feel about her the way she felt about him, but he'd keep her safe.

"No. I think his connection to you and me keeps him grounded. It reminds him of who he is." Naru said softly.

She wondered if he knew he'd said her first, and not himself.

"And if you're wrong?" She asked.

He looked at her. "Then we'll fix it."

Maybe it was the look in his eyes, like he believed it absolutely. Maybe it was the way his hand on her arm made her feel grounded. Maybe it was the "we."

Maybe she just wanted to do it, if only just this once.

She looked up at him, then stepped forward.

His eyes didn't widen.

His lips didn't part in surprise.

His expression never changed.

But when she leaned up on her toes to kiss him softly on his cheek, he went **_still_**.

She pulled back without saying anything, because she really didn't know what to say.

Something inside her was changing, and she wasn't sure who she would be at the end. But this one moment...

Well, now it was hers.

For better or worse.

He caught her by her shoulders, snaring her in the intensity of his gaze as he searched her eyes.

 _This is dangerous..._

After a moment, she broke free gently, and he let her.

Something inside her was changing.


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: Reviews will be rewarded by a SPR Team plays in the pool Scene. And yes, I'm talking Naru in swim trunks, someone losing their shorts, and all the other mischief you'd expect from these guys (while Lin silently swims his Laps hoping everyone ignores him...)**

 **As always, Not My Sandbox!**

 **Where The Light Enters**

 **"** **Starbright"**

 **_"I have late night conversations with the moon. He tells me about the sun and I tell him about you..." - S.L. Gray_**

Mai purposefully circled the table so she wouldn't be seated next to Naru during the Seance.

She didn't think she could calmly hold his hand after what had just happened in the pool house. Her emotions were as up and down as a roller coaster, and she was worried that not only would Naru pick up on her nerves, but that something weird might happen with their powers.

Despite the interference from the Staurolite, she felt her own energy writhing under her skin.

She could only imagine what it must be like for Naru.

Masako was pale, but she had smiled tremulously at Mai when she'd come downstairs to the formal dining room, where the seance was to be held.

Yasu was equally quiet, but he kept looking at Masako, and Mai could tell she had noticed.

It was a start, she supposed.

She found herself between John and Bou-San as they took their places. She was nearly across the table from Naru, but she kept her eyes focused solely on Masako. She was going to have a hard enough time performing a seance in this house, she deserved all of Mai's support at the moment.

She could feel his gaze on her for a moment before he took Masako's hand himself. Masako was seated between him and Reo.

Reo made sense, as a blood relation to Miyazawa, he was a possible draw for the spirit.

She wondered if Naru was hoping to amplify Masako's powers with his presence.

Could he do that? He'd told her on their first case as a team again that by holding onto her anchor, he could amplify its power.

Could he do something like that for Masako as well?

A thought occurred to her, and she quickly reached up and took off her own amulet. Naru had given them that option earlier, but she hadn't thought about it again until now.

Almost immediately, she could sense a subtle but definite difference. Her senses seemed just a little more keen, things around her seemed a little bit brighter.

Unfortunately, her headache got a little worse also.

She took the guys hands, and lowered her head as she listened to Masako invoke the Spirit of Miyazawa Sanda.

She could tell Masako was putting a great deal of her energy into the task.

Mai centered herself, reaching out with her own abilities.

 _Cold_.

Not the actual room, for once though.

It wasn't the feeling of physical cold.

It was more like the _memory_ of the sensation of being cold.

" _ **Cold**_." Masako murmured, and Mai's head shot up.

Naru met her eyes and she nodded slightly.

"What is cold?" John asked gently. They had decided he would be the questioner this time, since he knew the least about the case and the Sanda Family, he could be considered the most objective.

" ** _I...was cold_**." Masako was obviously struggling to maintain contact.

"Are you Miyazawa?" John said.

Masako hummed an affirmative response. Something about the way she did it had Reo's eyes widening.

"Where Are you?" John asked gently.

Mai could see Reo's eyes whipping back in forth between the two.

" ** _Stone_**." Masako said.

"The stone? Is that making it hard for you to talk?" John said, glancing at Naru, who nodded.

" _ **Didn't think he would**_..." she whispered, starting to tilt out of her seat gently.

Naru was already reaching for her, but Yasu was faster.

He practically flew to the girl's side as she slumped further. Mai could see a small trickle of blood coming from one nostril, and she sucked in her breath.

"We're ending this." Yasu said harshly, and Naru nodded. Mai was a little surprised he hadn't pushed to see it through to the end, but she was glad he agreed with Yasu.

They released hands as Yasu gently pushed Masako's hair out of her face.

"Hey, stranger." He said softly as her eyes flickered open. "How are you feeling?"

He took the tissue John handed him, dabbing her face gently while Ayako checked her over.

"She seems okay. Just tired." Ayako announced.

"Doctor's orders." Yasu announced, lifting her easily.

Mai smiled as Masako blushed and hid her face in his chest. Yasu headed upstairs, and Reo turned to the other team members.

"Will she be alright?" He asked in concern, and Mai marveled at how genuine his worry seemed. Masako has shared horror stories with her and Yasu about people in show business, but Reo seemed truly kind.

"It's simply a part of using her talent." Naru explained.

"Still, Not much to go on." Bou-San said.

"Actually, I have no doubt that was my Mother." Reo said, his voice a little sad.

"Why?" Mai asked. Nothing she had heard sounded definitive.

"It's weird. But they way she hummed when she was agreeing with Davis-San. My mother used to answer the same way whenever she was preoccupied with something and I'd ask her a question." He paused for a moment. "You know, I hadn't thought of that in years."

"So, it would appear we're on the right track." Ayako said musingly. "But it's still not much to go on."

"It's more than any of the other mediums in the past have managed." Reo said. "I'd seen her show, but I had no idea Hara-San was that strong."

Mai glanced at Naru, wondering if he had helped Masako somehow, but his face revealed nothing.

"I'm going to head up for now." She said. "Unless you want me to take a shift on the monitors?"

"Go ahead and get some rest." Naru said absently, placing a hand on her back for a moment as he walked by.

She saw Ayako glance at her knowingly, and she hurried up the stairs.

After only making a handful of lost turns she stumbled into their wing of the mansion. Cautiously, she opened the door to her own room and glanced in. The adjoining door was shut. Quickly, she changed into some sleep pants and an old hoodie. Though it was summer, the house was cool.

Knocking tentatively, she peaked her head her head into Masako's room. She was lying on her own bed with Yasu sitting up with his back against the headboard and his long legs stretched out.

"How are you feeling? Want me to come back later?" She was worried about her friend, but she didn't want to intrude if they were having a much needed conversation.

"Come on in." Yasu said quietly. "She's nearly asleep." He ran his hair idly through Masako's hair, and Mai felt a sudden shaft of jealousy run through her.

She wanted this for them, and yet...

Would she ever have that?

And there was that tiny little voice, one she despised but couldn't quash completely no matter how hard she tried-

Where was her place?

John was back where he belonged.

Ayako and Bou-San had found each other again.

Now Masako and Yasu were together, hopefully.

Why did it suddenly feel like the whole world was revolving around her, but not in a good way?

Like everyone but her was moving forward while she watched in the back ground?

She laid down on the other side of Masako.

"Will you stay with her until I get back? I'm going to change. She was a little dizzy earlier." Yasu asked and she smiled and nodded.

He left quietly, and she turned on her side. Masako stirred, eyelids fluttering.

"Yasu?" She asked sleepily.

Mai smiled. She looked like a grumpy kitten.

"He's changing. He's coming back." She reassured her friend.

Masako giggled a little. "You pushed him in the pool... Ayako couldn't even yell because he looked so silly..."

"For you, bestie. I'd slay the dragon. Or drown a jerk." Mai said, propping her head on her hand.

"Hey..." She continued softly. "You know that wasn't really about you, right? That was all Michiru-bullshit..."

"Michiru's a bitch." Masako closed her eyes. "But..."

"But..." Mai prompted gently.

Masako opened her eyes, looking over at Mai. "When do you think being with me will be louder in his head than his memories of her?"

Mai smiled softly. "I think his head is filled with you. She only matters because he sees it that he lost her, and he's scared of losing you too. When things matter, you try to do better each time. He just panicked."

Masako sighed. "Boys are stupid."

"Boys are stupid." Mai agreed.

There was a quiet knock and Yasu padded in.

"You can stay, Mai." He said when she stood up.

"It's fine. I want to get a drink anyway." She insisted.

He frowned. "Are you okay alone?"

She nodded. "I'll be back up later. I might sit with Lin for a bit."

"Okay, If you're sure." He said, laying down beside Masako.

Mai smiled softly as she turned of the lights, closing the door behind her.

She stood alone in the silent hall, leaning against the door for a moment.

She felt unsettled, tired, yet restless. Was it because the house was disturbing her connection to her astral plane?

She wandered back downstairs, listening to the quiet creaks and groans. This place didn't feel frightening or dangerous. It didn't particularly feel sad even. It just seemed a little empty.

Like it was waiting. But not in an ominous way.

She entered the kitchen, stopping in surprise when she saw Naru at the monitors, and not Lin.

"Everything alright?" He asked quietly, as he typed commands in to his computer without skipping a beat.

"Just a little restless. I figured Lin would be down here." She replied.

"He's taking the second shift. He'll be down in a couple of hours." Naru replied.

"Hmmm." She agreed quietly, sitting at the table where they had eaten dinner earlier that night.

She laid her head down on her crossed arms, staring out the kitchen window at the pool house.

Funny, she wasn't restless anymore.

 _She was lost in the fog._

 _Where was she?_

 _This wasn't where she was supposed to be, was it?_

 _She started to panic, breathing hard._

 _She turned around in a circle, but it all looked the same. Building rose and then faded again into the mist. It was neither light nor dark._

 _She was alone._

 _She didn't understand..._

 _"_ _Mai!"_

 _She knew that voice..._

" _Gene_?"

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Reo paused at the door to his kitchen, looking around curiously. Shibuya-San sat calmly at the bank of monitors, occasionally making a note on his clipboard.

Taniyama-San lay sleeping with her head pillowed on her arms at the table.

She made a face suddenly, obviously in distress. No stranger to nightmares, Reo started forward, reaching for the girl.

"Don't." The young man said from his seat. The command in his voice was unmistakable, but it also seemed to Reo that a thread of possessiveness was woven into the word.

Reo frowned. "She looks like she's having a nightmare."

The man turned around fully, facing Reo from his seat. "If you're lucky, she is."

Reo looked at him uneasily. "What do you mean?"

Shibuya-San watched him for a moment. Then, "Mai has the ability to astral travel in her dreams. She can see past events, including a spirit's memories, as well as things currently happening on the astral plane."

Reo blinked, stunned. "She said she made tea."

Naru snorted. "She would." He answered lowly.

"Mai has a range of abilities. She tends not to put much stock in them, but she is often crucial to our investigations." He added.

"Would you say she's as powerful as Hara-San?" Reo asked curiously, still deeply impressed with Hara-san's seance. He'd brought in many so-called psychics over the years. None of them had ever managed to convince him the way Hara-San had.

Naru paused, and Reo got the feeling he was choosing his words with care. "Hara-San is both talented and professional. But her true strength lies in her consistency. Many female psychics are either completely in tune with a spirit's wavelength, or completely out of sync. Though not necessarily the strongest medium I have worked with, she consistently is able to go to a location and provide the same level of proficiency. She can sense and identify and often channel spirits. It's why she's so good on TV. Her gift is reliable."

"And Taniyama's isn't?" Reo asked, taking a seat. It was fascinating to hear Shibuya-San talk. The man was a little strange in his dress and demeanor, at least by Reo's standards, but there was no doubt he knew his stuff.

"Mai is one of the strongest post-cognitive psychics I have personally worked with." Shibuya admitted, something like pride in his voice. "She's certainly the strongest I currently know of in Japan at this moment. She came into her powers quite late compared to Hara-San, but her level of mastery over her astral abilities is quite remarkable. Her ability is chameleon-like, however. It's not always clear how her powers will manifest."

"I'm not sure I understand." Reo admitted, glancing at the sleeping girl again.

She was pretty enough, in a common sort of way. But if you saw her on the street, nothing would shout to you "powerful psychic!"

"Mai has a natural ability to adjust her own psychic wavelength to match a spirit, or even a living person if that person happens to have abilities of their own. On several occasions, she's managed to match wavelengths with Masako or my-...other psychics." He said, ending the sentence abruptly.

"You mean yourself, I take it, Shibuya-San? Unless you prefer me to call you David-San?" Reo asked, looking at the man in interest.

He returned Reo's gaze coolly. "I wondered if you knew."

Reo shrugged. "As I said earlier, I'm on a bit of a schedule. I was willing to fly an SPR team here from Europe if that was what it took. Imagine my surprise when Martin Davis himself assured me that the Tokyo SPR had more than enough powerful members to handle the case. It didn't take my private investigator long to find out your true identity. I had no idea about Taniyama-San, however."

"She chooses not to advertise her abilities, and I respect that. I trust you can appreciate that?" There was the slightest edge to Shibuya's voice.

He'd almost call it a threat.

He nodded. "I know what it's like to be wanted for what you can do, instead of who you are."

Something he said must have struck a chord in the other man, because he went still for a

moment, watching the sleeping girl.

"The first time I tested Mai for psychic abilities, she failed. She failed a test of one hundred questions, ten separate times." He said quietly.

Reo's eyebrows rose in shock. "You're saying she failed a thousand questions? Is that even possible?"

"Mathematically? No. For a strongly empathic psychic who didn't want to be discovered, yes." Shibuya said quietly.

"She wanted her powers kept a secret?" Reo asked in confusion.

"Mai's emotions direct her instincts. I made the mistake of testing her right after we resolved a case where two psychics were badly ostracized when their gifts were made known. It frightened her." Shibuya admitted.

"So she failed on purpose?" Reo guessed.

The other man shook his head. "She failed instinctively. She didn't even know she was doing it. Her gifts were subconscious then, but already quite strong. Since coming to terms with them, they've increased greatly. But because she adjusts her own abilities to match the situation, we don't always know what we will find out, or how. Sometimes it's visions, sometimes it's dreams. Sometimes she just knows things and doesn't even realize it."

Reo wondered how long the man in front of him had been in love with the sleeping girl, but knew better than to ask.

"Gene..." Taniyama said suddenly, and Reo watched in interest as the other man went very still.

Awkward...

"So...she gets a lot of nightmares, I take it?" Wondering if that was why she was sleeping downstairs.

Shibuya shrugged elegantly. "Spirits don't often become spirits by living long, peaceful lives." He said simply.

"Gene!" The girl said again, louder, distress clear in her voice.

In a flash, Shibuya was by her side, touching her face gently, searching her face for something, but for what, Reo had no idea.

"I thought you said not to wake her?" Reo asked, Shibuya's sudden intensity making him nervous.

"Gene is her Spirit Guide. Her protector. Talking to him is normal. Calling for him is not. He should already be with her whenever she's projecting or having a vision."

Something in Shibuya's voice told Reo that the other man took it quite personally, the possibility that her guide was not with her.

"Is it the house?" Reo asked apprehensively.

"Possibly." Shibuya acknowledged begrudgingly.

The girl's features had smoothed out, her breathing steadier now. Reo got the sense she had found whoever it was she was looking for.

Shibuya seemed to relax as well, standing up and walking back to his original seat.

"Have you accepted the possibility that even a team as talented as ours may not be able to ascertain what you are looking for? If Masako's seance has convinced you your mother's spirit is still here, we can always attempt an exorcism, even if we haven't located a body."

Before Reo could answer however, Taniyama stood up suddenly.

The movement was silent, fluid and graceful in a way that seemed unlike what he had seen of her so far.

She stood still for a moment, then took a slow step towards the back door to the kitchen.

"She's sleepwalking?" Reo asked, looking quickly at Shibuya, who was already on his feet.

"She's projecting. But the Staurolite is interfering. Normally, her body would remain still while her spirit traveled." The man was pacing the sleeping girl, talking in a hushed voice.

She had reached the door, pausing for a moment before calmly reaching out and twisting the lock. Her eyes were glassy and blank, completely empty.

She looked like a ghost.

She opened the door, calmly walking outside.

"She could get hurt..." Reo warmed as she started across the lawn.

"I don't let that happen." Shibuya said, glued to the girl's side. "She's trying to do something. Something has made contact and it probably won't let her be until she accomplishes what it wants."

The girl paused, cocking her head. Shibuya raised a finger to his lips, and Reo quieted, realizing that their conversation must have been confusing the sleepwalker.

"Does she know what's happening?" He whispered when she resumed walking. She was heading towards the pool house, her pale clothing glowing dimly in the moonlight.

"Most likely, on some level. If not, Gene will do his best to explain it to her." Shibuya said as the girl came to a stop at the pool house door.

Whether or not Shibuya liked it, he wasn't going to let the girl sleepwalk into the pool, but to his relief, she turned right suddenly, trailing her fingers along the rough stone wall.

"Did you expect this?" He asked, wondering if that was why she had been sleeping in the kitchen.

"I never know what to expect with this one." The other man muttered. "Still, he's taking a lot for granted." The last part was said so lowly Reo doubted he was supposed to hear it.

A moment later, Shibuya paused, listening. "She's counting."

He was right, Reo realized. She was counting softly, moving her hand from one chunk of stone to the next with each number.

Something about the action was familiar.

Suddenly, on the muttered number "Thirteen", she stopped, turning to face the wall. She reached out with both hands, feeling the outline of the stone where it protruded from the mortar. She began tugging, actions becoming more desperate with each pull.

"She's going to hurt herself..." Shibuya muttered what Reo was thinking.

He stepped forward, leaning into her ear. "Mai, I'm going to help you, Alright?"

Reo wasn't sure how much of the man's words reached her, but she calmed when Shibuya placed his hands over hers, helping her pull.

Finally, with a reluctant scrape, the stone came free. Taniyama's hands dropped to her side almost immediately, and her legs slowly gave out.

Shibuya followed her down, leaning her gently against the building. Her eyes fluttered open.

"Happy birthday..." She murmured tiredly.

Shibuya looked up at him. "You said your mother used to hide things for you to find? Whatever's in there is almost certainly meant for you to find."

"She disappeared two days before my birthday." Reo admitted, throat suddenly tight.

He looked down at the two ghost hunters in wonder and just a little fear.

"It's okay." Taniyama said tiredly. "She really wants you to have it.

Reo reached in with a shaking hand, feeling his way in the dark space left by the missing stone.

Almost immediately, his hand encountered something flat and slick. It took his fingers a moment to find an edge to grasp, but he finally did. He carefully drew his hand out, staring at his prize in the dim moonlight.

It was an old comic, wrapped carefully in plastic. His mother had wrapped it well, only a few of the pages looked to be warped by moisture. Turning it over, he could see a scrawling signature across the front.

"She tracked down a signed copy for me. I loved this series as a kid." He whispered, a tear sliding down his cheek unnoticed.

Taniyama had already fallen back asleep, cradled safely in Shibuya-san's arms.

She looked completely at ease there, and he wondered how often she was carried by him.

How did you keep someone safe when their very nature made them wander away from you?

"My mother and I both used to sleepwalk." He told the man. "It made my father a nervous wreck. He bought bells he used to tie to the doors. I think they're still in a drawer in the kitchen."

Shibuya studied him, the weight of the girl in his arms seeming to cause him no problems.

"Thank you. I'd appreciate it. She doesn't usually do this, but as long as we're here, it could happen again." He said after a moment, as they started back to the house.

"I can arrange for a hotel, instead?" He offered distractedly, turning the comic over and over again incredulously.

Shibuya shook his head. "That won't be necessary."

Lin-San was already in the kitchen, holding the door for them as they entered.

"Should I get Ayako?" He asked.

Shibuya shook his head. "She's sleeping now. I'm taking her upstairs. I don't want to wake Masako, so we'll be in my room."

If his words surprised Lin, the man didn't show it.

"I'll get those bells." Reo said.

Shibuya nodded. "Lin, will you tie one to each outside door, and to mind and Mai's bedroom door?"

The tall man simply nodded.

Reo and Lin watched as Shibuya carried her upstairs.

"He do that a lot?" Reo finally asked, despite himself.

It occurred to him, then, that the way Shibuya looked holding her was probably how he looked as he stood there, clutching a gift he'd never expected to receive.

Lin opened his mouth, and then closed it again, seeming at a loss.

"I think she handles it rather well, actually." He said finally.


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N: Playful SPR is my favorite, and playful Naru is** ** _everything_** **, guys. Can you guess who Naru is giving a piece of his mind to?**

 **Reviews are love. Next chapter will see a little ghost action. This chapter ended up full of nearly naked guys somehow.**

 **Sorry-Not-Sorry.**

 **Not My Sandbox (Just my pool scene).**

 **Where The Light Enters**

 **"** **Floating, Falling, Flying** "

' _Naru was pissed at someone_ ' Mai thought sleepily as she slowly shifted to wakefulness. Harsh whispering could be heard from the other side of her bathroom door, but she couldn't tell what was being said.

 _Wait_.

That wasn't her bathroom door.

Her jaw dropped in shock.

He'd done it again.

 _He'd done it again._

 ** _This...was...not...her...room._**

She lay back down, closing her eyes in consternation.

First, he starts hauling her around like equipment. Now he's rearranging her in the middle of the night like furniture...

 _That's it._

She's telling Ayako.

Okay...but does she want him _dead_ dead?

And who was he talking to in the bathroom that was clearly not hers?

He wasn't exactly the kind of guy who needed a pep talk...

She burst into giggles at her own nervous inanity. She quickly pulled a pillow over her own face to stifle the sound, but something must have escaped, because she heard the sound of the bathroom door opening.

"Isn't it a little early to be smothering yourself?" He asked idly.

" **Didhieeaslpwatinfroonhofrosanda**?"

 _Did I really sleepwalk in front of Reo Sanda?_

She had decided discretion was the better part of valor. Naru probably wouldn't explain himself anyway. If you looked in the dictionary, right under the 'arbitrary', you'd find his picture.

So she moved onto the next exceptionally embarrassing experience on her list.

He pulled the pillow away from her face slightly, looked down at her coolly.

"Yes."

She pulled the pillow back into its place, screaming a little more. " **Irlllrllyhaayututnoh**!"

"How is this my fault?" He said, pulling the pillow away from her completely.

She should probably be impressed that he could understand her pillow talk, but she decided she wasn't in the mood to be impressed.

She glared at him. "I haven't really decided. But I'm pretty sure if we go downstairs and take a vote right now, the Team will be on my side."

She stuck out her tongue for good measure.

Equipment had no dignity anyway.

He looked at her for a moment, considering. "Well, that is almost certainly true."

She stuck her tongue out at him again as he walked out the door.

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She emerged from the water, taking a gulp of air.

Damn.

It seemed like she was a lot slower than she used to be.

"You're getting old!" Yasu tainted from the pool's edge, and Masako laughed from her place by his side.

Mai replied soundlessly, her one finger salute making her feelings perfectly clear.

There was little to no activity to investigate in the mansion during the day. Even Reo's file showed that there had never been a single incidence of activity during daylight hours.

So the SPR Team was in the pool, well, except for Naru.

Ayako and Bou-San floated near the ledge at the deeper end, close enough to each other that Mai had firmly turned around and intended to remain that way.

Adults needed privacy too sometimes.

Even Lin was at the far end, gliding through the water methodically on what was probably his 800th lap. He was steadfastly ignoring their mischief, and except for the one time the beach ball had accidentally hit his head, they were managing rather well not to include him in their collateral damage.

John emerged beside her, blond locks plastered to his face.

"It feels great to work off some of this energy." He said with a grin. "I hate to admit it, but this house makes me feel a bit antsy."

Mai nodded in understanding. If everyone else felt the same way she and John did, it was no wonder they were so rowdy.

A sudden movement at the far end of the pool caught her attention, and if she hadn't been in water shallow enough to stand in, she probably would have drowned.

Naru was standing there, a dark pair of swimming trunks snug and dangerously low across his hips.

If that was how all English guys looked at the pool, obviously she needed to take a trip.

John, Bou-San and Yasu all looked good, of course. She'd seen Bou-San and Yasu in a pool before though.

And even wearing a t-shirt with his shorts, she could tell the increased physical labor had done John some good.

Okay, a lot of good.

 _She was probably going to Hell._

Even Lin was kind of hot in a scary "I might curse you" kind of way.

She, Masako and Ayako were lucky, lucky girls sometimes.

Not that they'd admit it out loud.

 ** _But damn_**.

Naru.

Pretty much naked.

She loved this case.

"I owe you this!" A voice whispered in her ear, and her eyes widened as she sought to escape, but she was too late.

Yasu had taken advantage of her complete and total distraction-

( _Naru was in the water now, and swimming was officially her favorite sport)_

To grab her from behind...

 **Caught**!

She squealed as he lifted her up, tossing her easily into the deeper end. Her yell caught the others attention as she came up sputtering.

Yasu held up his hands harmlessly, laughing. "At least you're in a bathing suit!" He defended himself.

She grinned ferally, nodding at Masako who had swam silently up behind the unsuspecting boy.

Masako sank below the water like a siren, and a moment later, Yasu's eyes got very, very wide before he pitched to one side.

Masako emerged, grinning in triumph, hand clenched in the air...

 _Along with Yasu's swim trunks._

Hoots of laughter echoed across the room from Ayako and Bou-San. Even John chuckled as Yasu came up sputtering and blushing.

"Traitor!" He hollered at Masako, who dodged, laughing.

"All's fair in love and war, Yasu!" Ayako hollered.

"Never make a lady angry." Bou-San laughed.

"Mai, catch!" Masako yelled, tossing the wet trunks to Mai.

Even Lin and Naru had stopped to watch the play now.

Mai shrieked as Yasu's trunks came hurtling at her. She jumped, catching the wet cloth.

Yasu whirled towards her. "Mai..." He said warningly.

Mai grinned, careful to keep her eyes above the waterline.

Best friend or not, she was glad Masako was the one who went after the shorts.

 _But now that she had them..._

She grinned, twisting like a flash and diving down and away.

Towards the deep end.

She might be slower than she used to be, but she was still faster than Yasu.

Slicing cleanly through the water, she dropped the trunks in the deep end where they slowly drifted to the bottom.

She emerged to even louder hoots of laughter.

Even Naru was smiling from where he and Lin had stopped swimming to watch.

Languidly she swam back towards shallower water.

Yasu was looking at her in a way that made her suddenly a little nervous.

"Oh, you're going to regret that. If you want to see me in my full glory, so be it!" He yelled, lunging for her.

She shrieked again, propelling herself backwards, out of his reach.

"Bou-San! Help me!" She yelled, laughing to hard to swim properly.

"Yeah, Bou-San! The more the merrier!" Yasu yelled, a wicked glint in his eyes.

"Uh, sorry Mai. No can do!" Bou-San said, paling.

"Coward!" She hollered.

Yasu lunged again and she slipped this time, her head nearly going under water as she lost her footing.

She was saved by a warm arm sneaking around her midriff, pulling her back to a safer distance.

Laughing, she glanced back, expecting to see Bou-San after all.

To her shock, it was Naru.

His arm was flush against her stomach, palm splayed against her bare side.

 _Oh, my.._..

She swallowed, eyes widening.

Her heart was suddenly beating triple-time.

He stepped back again, pulling her with him. It was too deep for her to touch with her head above the water now, but he stood easily. His arm held her secure, back snug against his bare chest.

 _Close your mouth before you drown, Mai._

He angled to face Yasu squarely, looking over her head at the other man. There was nothing she could do but float along, her hands gripping his forearm.

His breath ghosted across the back of her neck, raising goosebumps on her shoulders.

 _Holy shit.._..

She forced herself not to squirm in his grasp. She felt ridiculously tiny, pulled along in his gravity.

Yasu stopped, pulling up short.

Appraising the situation.

Was she about to get caught between a naked Yasu and a nearly naked Naru in Reo Sanda's pool?

The thought was ludicrous enough to make her laugh, snapping her out of her hormone induced daze.

"Whose side are you on?" Yasu said suspiciously.

Naru didn't smile, per se.

It was something a little...darker..

She shivered, though the water was warm.

She might've liked that expression on his face a little _too_ much.

"The side that desperately wants you to keep your...glory to yourself." Naru announced, pulling her closer yet.

It should have bothered her, really.

Yeah...it didn't.

"Ladies...I have a hostage!" Naru called.

Everyone, including Mai, gaped at him.

Then- "I'm not so sure she wants to be rescued!" It was Ayako who called, and this time, the others laughed while she blushed.

"Masako!" She cried, laughing helplessly. If Naru hadn't been holding her up, she probably really would have drowned by now.

No, _dammit_.

She was an independent woman.

She began to twist in his grasp.

 _She didn't...need...any...rescuing..._

He held her easily though. It was too deep for her to have any real purchase.

He used his free hand to minutely shift their position whenever Yasu shifted his, effortlessly matching the other boy.

Tucked against him, she was safe from Yasu.

And very much at Naru's mercy.

It was useless. She couldn't wiggle loose.

She could feel what she swore was Naru chuckling, his chest brushing against her back with each exhale. His face never changed however.

It was the same face he'd made when he'd won the round of poker two nights ago, she remembered.

"Help!" She cried piteously, forswearing womanly independence.

 _Damn Naru and his attractive masculinity..._

It wasn't fair!

This was obviously Stockholm Syndrome.

"This won't do." A new voice said, and everyone looked to the side of the pool.

Mai was suddenly certain that no matter how she died, she was passing straight on.

No unfinished business here.

She was held, slick skin against skin by her nearly naked boss while staring at Reo-freaking-Sanda in swim trunks.

 _This was her life..._

 **Best. Job. Ever.**

Reo dived cleanly, emerging a moment later to toss Yasu (who was, again, beet red) his shorts.

The girls simultaneously threw up their arms in cheers, conveniently forgetting that they had, in fact engineered the situation they had just been rescued from.

Reo grinned, paddling over to them easily.

Yasu quickly dressed himself, shooting Mai and Masako dark looks.

"Sorry, Mai. I think Yasu's the princess who just got rescued by the movie star." It was Lin who said it, and just the sound of him saying so many words at the same time had everyone freezing.

Then they were all laughing hysterically, even Yasu.

All except for Naru, who stared at Reo thoughtfully. He wasn't frowning, but he shifted a little, bringing her up under his chin. Tucked against him, she couldn't see his face anymore.

"A gentleman indeed." Naru acknowledged after a moment, tilting his head a little. She felt the motion, more than saw it. For just a split second, his fingertips pressed into her skin a little harder, hot points of electricity running throughout her body from those five points.

Then he released Mai, angling his arm so that she floated gently towards the shallower water.

She felt a little bereft with the sudden loss of his heat.

"I saw you and Lin-San swimming laps earlier. Mind if I join you?" Reo asked with another easy smile.

"It's your pool." Naru said, turning to swim back to the marked lanes on the pools far side.

Mai swam over to Masako, who grabbed her hand, yanking her the rest of the way over with a Herculean strength that belied her tiny frame.

" ** _What._**!" She whisper-squealed. "I swear, my Grandmother had a dog who would steal shoes and then make you fight with him to get them back. When Naru grabbed you, he had the exact same look on his face." She giggled. "I was expecting him to yell 'mine', really loudly."

Mai shrugged dazedly.

She had kind of felt that way too, actually.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Twenty minutes or so later, they had worn themselves out. Mai swam over to the edge, bracing to boost herself out, when a hand was suddenly in front of her.

She looked up to see Reo's handsome face and swallowed.

Oh, boy.

 _Oh boys..._

 _ **So many boys...**_

She gave him her hand and he pulled her up easily.

Handing her one of the plush towels provided in the pool house, he said "Taniyama-San, Hara-San, I wondered if I might have a moment of your time before you go upstairs."

The two girls glanced at each other in confusion, shrugging.

"Of Course, Sanda-San." Masako answered.

"Reo, please." He replied.

"Of course." She paused. "Reo."

Over Reo's shoulder she could see something in Yasu's face darken.

"Let's go over here?" She suggested, wrapping the towel around herself hurriedly. She had nothing to be ashamed of, body-wise, but she wasn't much to look at compared to Masako or Ayako. In the water it hadn't seemed to matter, but standing there now, she was a little self-conscious.

The other two nodded, walking back towards the row of private changing rooms.

"I'm sorry we were so rowdy." Mai said, a little embarrassed about their antics after the fact.

Reo just shook his head, smiling. "It's nice. This place has been too quiet for too long. It was always lively when my mother was around."

His comment made her think of last night, and what was surely one of her strangest astral experiences. Gene had let her know that she was actually walking, but held in the Dream's sway, it had seemed inconsequential. Now, when she thought about it however, it unnerved her.

She toyed with the amulet around her neck. Someone, she assumed Naru, had replaced it sometime during the night.

She saw Reo glance quickly at the hand at her neck before looking away.

"How can we help you, S- Reo?" Masako asked finally.

"I wanted to let the two of you know that no matter what happens, I intend to pay SPR's fees in full. Even if the team is unable to discover anything else. The two of you, however, have...well. I'm not sure how to say it." He ran his hand through his hair awkwardly, and somehow even that action was charming.

"I've seen a lot of so-called psychics. And neither one of them hold a candle to the two of you. And it seemed like..." he paused. "I didn't realize how much of a physical toll using your abilities could have."

The girls just looked at him, unsure of where he was going with the conversation.

Mai could see the others watching curiously.

"Reo?" She asked.

"I'm writing each of you a bonus check for _." He said suddenly.

The girls gaped at him.

"You can't-" Mai started.

"We can't..." Masako interjected.

They stopped, looking at each other in consternation.

Something on their faces must have alarmed Yasu, because he was walking over quickly.

Reo held up a hand. "I'm not trying to get you in trouble with Shibuya or anything. But after the money I've wasted on fakes, it just doesn't seem right. Not after the two of you got more results in one night than the rest did in my whole life."

"Thank you." Mai said, looking at Yasu, and Naru, who had followed, his gaze trained on her like a hawk. "We understand what you're trying to do. But it really isn't necessary. SPR is a very generous employer."

The guys had reached them. Yasu wrapped a possessive arm around Masako that clearly startled the girl, nearly knocking her over.

"We should all get some rest before tonight." Naru said, his voice even. She could feel the heat radiating off his body as he stood next to her.

He was in nothing more than trunks and a towel, yet he somehow gave off an aura as collected as when he was fully dressed.

"Sounds good." Mai agreed readily.

Naru was going to have them do walk through in pairs that night, to see if they could get Miyazawa to respond to any of them again. If that didn't work, Lin would try a seance of his own.

She turned away, towards the door without thinking.

A quietly inhaled gasp from Reo made her remember her scar. She forgot about it most of the time, but neither the towel or her suit would be covering much of it right now.

In full view, it was ugly, and that was being polite.

It twisted down her back, like some childhood monster had trailed a claw downward.

Both Yasu and Naru stilled.

Yasu's eyes darkened.

He'd never forgiven himself for being the reason she was on the train that night.

Naru simply put a hand across her back, effectively blocking the other man's view.

"I'm sorry." Reo actually bowed in contrition. "That was horribly rude. I just didn't see it earlier, and I was surprised."

"It's okay." She smiled, trying to ease the tension.

It looked so much worse than it had been, and had healed without any lingering after effects.

She had been incredibly lucky that it was ugly, and nothing more.

"Accidents happen." She added with a shrug.

"Let's go." Yasu said, his voice still tense.

Reo bowed again and the four walked towards the door, joining John and the others.

As they walked, Mai glanced uneasily at Yasu.

She wished she could make him understand that she had never blamed him for the accident.

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 _Yasu was drunk again._

 _And he was heavy._

 _Ignoring the catcalls of the other guys as she hefted Yasu's arm over her shoulder, she nearly stumbled until she caught her balance._

 _Leading him carefully outside, she hoped the cool air would start to sober the boy up._

 _"_ _Hey, Mai..." He said conversationally._

 _"_ _Hey, Yasu..." She replied, sad that her clever friend had been reduced to this._

 _"_ _Why are girls all cheaters and liars?" He said stumbling._

 _She grimaced._

 _Damn Michiru._

" _What, I'm not a girl?" She teased, trying to distract him. Thankfully, the station wasn't too far away._

 _"_ _You're... Mai Taniyama..." He stated unsteadily. "You're my best friend. My_ _ **only**_ _best friend." He added empathically._

 _Despite herself, she smiled. "Well, You're my best friend too, you know."_

 _But geez, you're heavy..._.

Mai opened her eyes slowly.

Masako was still sleeping peacefully in the bed next to her. Through the open door, she could see a pair of legs in dark pants seated at the chair in the next room...

 _She blinked. Her head ached._

 _What happened?_

 _"_ _Yasu?" She said, closing her eyes again._

 _"_ _Shhh." It was Ayako's voice, which didn't make any sense._

 _Ayako hadn't been on the train with them._

 _"_ _Don't turn over sweetie. You need to stay on your stomach right now..._

 _Everything hurt..._

The room was darker this time. The legs hadn't moved. This time she recognized Naru's pants. Had he been sitting there the whole time, watching over them?

Was he worried she was going to sleepwalk again?

When did he sleep?

" _Hey." She murmured softly to the boy sitting next to her bed. His leg was immobilized by his wheelchair. A dark bruise decorated his jaw._

 _"_ _I'm sorry." He whispered brokenly, starting to cry._

 _He hadn't cried until now, she realized. He'd ranted, and cussed and drank._

 _But this was the first time she had seen him cry._

 _"_ _Hey!" She said, softly, reaching for him before the burn on her back caused her to hiss in pain._

 _The sound only made the boy sob harder._

 _He looked up, furious. "I woke up in the ambulance. You were in the next stretcher. You were so pale, and the sheets all around you were bloody. They were putting you on an IV. I said your name but you didn't answer..."_

 _He swallowed. "Ayako said you saved my life. You didn't even realize you were cut."_

 _She smiled wryly. "I hit my head. Got tossed out of my body. I knew I had to get back to you."_

 _"_ _I'm sorry." He repeated._

 _"_ _I'm not_."

She opened her eyes, letting them adjust to the quiet twilight creeping across the room.

The chair was empty, but the feeling of safety remained.

Masako breathed softly beside her.

"I'm not sorry." She whispered to the shadows.

But it was kind of funny. The whole time Naru had been holding her in the pool, skin to skin, back to chest...

She hadn't thought about her scar once.


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: So, this case doesn't have a ton of creep factor. This is a gentle ghost. But the two cases after this get a bit...hairy, so I figured everyone needed to to heal up.**

 **So much love to my reviewers. You guys are everything. I just up and down every time I get a new one. Fortunately, my boyfriend not only already knew I was crazy, but finds it endearing.**

 **For those of you wondering about the mirror, it will be cleared up next chapter. Some of you know the original GH canon well enough to guess, but don't worry if you've only seen the anime. I'll clear it up!**

 **As Always, Not my sandbox!**

 **-RavensGame**

 **Where The Light Enters**

 **"** **Wish I Might** "

" _Maybe to be powerful is to be fragile." -Ai Weiwei_

"Are you lost?" Reo asked in amusement, looking down at her wryly..

She looked around the long hall where she was sitting with her back against the wall.

"Hmm? No. I was...meditating." She said, lips twitching from the effort of not laughing at her own audacity.

She couldn't do it though, and the laugh broke free.

"Okay, Yeah. I'm lost." She said, hanging her head in shame.

"So you sat down, and waited for someone to come get you?" Reo asked, laughing out loud now.

Mai made a face. "Naru was pretty explicit the last time I got lost. If I'm sitting here waiting, I don't get the evil glare of death. If I make it worse by trying to get myself unlost and they find me first..."

"Cue the evil glare of death." Reo said. "Got it."

"All your hallways look alike." She accused lightly. "Sometimes, on cases we get maps. I really like when we get maps."

"Does that help?" Reo asked, arching a brow.

"Nope. But then I just blame the map and by then he's usually fed up with my antics." She said with a smile.

Reo nodded. "Okay, fair enough."

He surprised her by sitting down next to her.

He was kind of weird for a movie star.

She saw him glance at her, eyes widening a little as he choked.

"Oh, my god. Did I say that out loud?" She asked in a tiny voice. "Please go back to the others and tell them I've left. I'm just...going to sit here."

Forever.

Her cheeks were so red they actually hurt.

"Actually, considering the ass I made of myself earlier, you're probably right to think that of me." He was laughing so hard now he had to wipe tears from his cheeks.

"Huh?" She asked. "Oh, the scar thing. It's really fine. Everyone does it when they see it. It's just in a place where most people don't see it, so I tend to forget about it until someone reminds me."

"Was it...from ghost hunting?" He asked haltingly, suddenly more serious.

"No." She said, thinking back. "Do you remember the train wreck about three years back, in Tokyo."

His eyes widened. "Yeah. It was all over the news. The way some of the cars collided with each other, they had trouble getting to people. It was late on a weekend, and the train was mostly filled with college kids. Didn't seven people die?"

"Eleven. Eleven people died. But Yasu and I did not. So the scar..." She paused. "The scar is just proof of life." She shrugged. "It's literally all behind me."

"Did it hurt a lot?" He asked.

"You know, I didn't actually know I was hurt until later. A piece of glass got him on his leg, near the top of his thigh. It was bleeding pretty badly, so I was just trying to deal with that. Mine was never deep, just long. And I was moving around a lot, which is why it healed so ugly, according to the Doctors. But for the most part, it's just..." She shrugged again. "Well, behind me."

He shook his head. "You have an amazing outlook."

She shrugged. "It compensates for my horrible sense of direction."

"I guess I'm just relieved that your injury wasn't work related." He admitted, looking away.

She cocked her head curiously.

Why would it matter how she got it?

"Do you get hurt very often, doing what you do?" He asked, suddenly serious.

"Well...I fall a lot." She admitted, thinking back over some of their past cases.

"Fall down?" He asked.

"Fall down things. Sewers, wells, once a building collapsed on me. Well, me and Naru. He usually gets tangled up in my heightened sense of gravity." She said, laying her chin on her knees.

She looked over. "You're pretty good, aren't you?"

"What?" He asked.

She looked at him knowingly. "You can get people to talk. Do you do it to direct the attention off of you?"

"Possibly." He admitted. "I probably learned it from my Mom. She enjoyed being the center of attention, yet she didn't like when people got too close. A journalist would ask her a question she didn't want to answer, and the next thing he'd know, he'd be telling her about his six children."

"Genetic charm. Pretty cool for a superpower." She said, looking up.

"Naru's coming." She said, standing up and dusting off her shorts.

"How do you know?" Reo asked, standing also.

"It's hard to explain. I just sense his aura of tea and annoyance, I guess."

"Tea?"

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They entered the kitchen, Mai trailing behind the two guys. Mai drifted over to Masako, who gave her a not so subtle leer.

"When Naru realized you were missing, he took off like a shot." She whispered.

"He probably thought I was dead." Mai was only half joking. Her conversation with Reo had brought to mind just how often Naru ended up saving her.

She really hated that.

"We're going to do walk through a with the cameras for about an hour. Then we'll meet in the dining room and Lin will try and summon Sanda-San."

Mai nodded thoughtfully.

It had been years since she had seen Lin perform a summoning.

She ended up pairing up with John as they walked through the huge house.

"I feel like we haven't really spoke in a while..." Mai said as they traversed another endless hall.

"We've certainly been busy. And things got pretty exciting while I was back home, from what I heard." John said. "But it seemed at least Ayako and Tawkigawa have resolved some of their issues. I'm glad."

"Me too." Mai said fervently. "How is it, being a priest again?"

They paused in what Mai assumed would be called a "Great Room". It had a huge fireplace, and over it was a portrait of the Sanda Family. Reo was just a small boy, standing in front of his parents.

"It's strange. Familiar and new all at once. I never considered being anything other than a Priest. So for the first time, I feel like I'm looking at the Priesthood with fresh eyes."

"Fresh eyes?" She mulled over his choice of words.

Wasn't that why their team was there? To be fresh eyes?

"Yasu?" She said into the radio.

"Did you get a chance to do any independent research on this case?" She asked.

"Not really. I've mostly just been cross referencing the reports Reo had ready for us." Yasu admitted. "Why?"

"No real reason." Mai said. Turning to John, she asked "Do you mind if we head back to base? I want to look at the file again."

"Not really." He said. "Have a hunch?"

She frowned. "Well, not really. It's just..." She trailed off, trying get to word the vague feeling she had.

"It feels like something's missing." She said finally, frustrated with her unable to express herself.

"A clue, you mean?" John asked as they headed back.

She shook her head. "It feels more...solid, than that. I guess. Like there's something here that isn't here. We're all looking straight through it. Like when you look at the view at the window for an hour but can't remember what color the curtains are afterwards."

"Is it the house messing with your abilities?" He asked.

She blew her breath out in frustration. "I wonder."

She couldn't help but feel like they were so focused on the house that they were missing something so important.

"What makes a house a home?" She asked suddenly.

This empty, waiting house was just that.

A house. Not a home.

"The people." John answered easily.

"So why are we so focused on the house?" She said as they entered the base.

"Because most of us are psychic, and the Staurolite impedes that." It was Naru who answered, from where he was sitting at the monitor bank. "What happened back in the great room?"

"Why do you mean?" John asked as Mai sat down at the table, pulling the file over to her.

"You don't remember?" Naru asked, eyes narrowed as he looked between the two of them. "I was about to go down there when you decided to come back here."

Mai looked up, frowning. "What are you talking about?"

"Come and see, it's easier to explain." Naru ordered, turning back to one of the monitors and rewinding the tape.

The audio was faint, but they could here themselves clearly on the audio.

"...looking at the Priesthood with fresh eyes..." John's voice could clearly be heard as they looked up at the portrait.

Then there was silence...

Silence...

Silence...

Mai frowned. They were on camera, stock still. She remembered the conversation moving fluidly. She hadn't paused that long, had she?

On screen, they were still silent, statues of themselves.

She shivered.

"Is it the camera?" She asked. The two of them were so still it was as if the image was frozen, a snapshot in time.

"I checked. But the time signature changes accordingly." He pointed to the numbers in the bottom of the screen.

"Fresh eyes?" The Mai on screen suddenly murmured, turning to face John as if the un-pause command had just been given.

"How long?" John asked in concerned bewilderment.

"Just a little under seven minutes." Naru said, turning around to face them. "And you noticed nothing? No visions, voices, cold spots?"

Mai shook her head, bewildered. It was like the pause had never happened at all in her memory.

Seven minutes of her life simply...gone.

Like she's misplaced it somewhere.

"Mai, how is your headache?" Naru suddenly asked.

She looked at him, trying to keep up with his train of thought. "Actually, it's better today."

"Acclimation..." Naru murmured to himself. "Perhaps we should do the seance in the Great Room..."

"Do it." Mai said, nodding.

For some reason, she really wanted those seven minutes back.

But she'd settle for answers.

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Mai stretched her hands out above her head as she yawned. She was sitting up at the monitors, taking a turn with Naru.

He had agreed to a compromise for the night.

They would take first shift, then later Lin and John would come down. Masako was crashing in Yasu's room, and Naru and Mai would take the adjoining rooms. That way, with the bells on the door, Naru would be able to hear if she went wandering.

It felt weird, but at least this time she knew she was going to have someone watching. And it was this or agree to a camera in her room, and she couldn't quite bring herself to be okay with that.

It just felt too weird.

Lin's seance hadn't been a bust, per se.

The temperature in the room had dropped nearly ten degrees. The candle flames had elongated. But the misty form that had arisen had quickly fled again, leaving only a murmured word.

"Stone."

"Do you think she was talking about the Staurolite?" Mai asked, toying with her amulet aimlessly.

"Possibly." Naru conceded. "Though, that assumes she knows what is causing the difficulty in communications. And that isn't something she could have learned once she passed on."

Mai looked at him. He was saying something without saying it, again.

"Naru?" She prompted.

He looked up from where he was lost in his own musings. "Hm? Well, I was just thinking about your somnambulism last night."

"Heh?" She asked in confusion.

"Your sleepwalking." He said absently, tapping his fingers on the edge of the table. "Sanda mentioned that both he and his mother used to sleepwalk also."

"And?" She asked when it was apparent he was drifting into his thoughts again.

"Sanda also said his mother used to hide things for him to find. And that she'd never give hints. But wouldn't a parent want the gift to be found? Wouldn't they give some sort of hint? Especially in a place this big?" Naru looked at her, waiting for her to catch up.

He was right. The hiding place behind the rock in the pool house...who would have ever expected that to be found without a hint?

It had taken a sleepwalking psychic-

"You think they were psychic?" Mai asked in shock. The way he phrased it had made her think of how Madoka had helped her learn to guess the Tea Shop drinks.

"Why would she know what Staurolite can do? Why hide things and leave no clues?" Naru said. "It's just speculation, but..."

"Don't play cards with Reo." She finished.

Actually, that made a sort of sense. Madoka has told her some forms of psychic abilities were more emphatic in nature. These people could sense things, but also sensed strong emotions.

"A house built from Staurolite would make an excellent shield for a young child with psychic abilities. An excellent place to train them slowly without them being overwhelmed by spirits or others emotions." Naru theorized.

Was that how Reo always ended up getting her to say more than she intended? It was his "gift"?

"He probably doesn't even know." She said slowly in realization. His mother had been training him slowly, but probably died long before she had a chance to actually explain things.

"Probably. You didn't until I pointed it out. He uses his subconsciously, recognizing and sensing emotions in people. And since he can recognize it so well, it probably makes it easier to capture an audience's attention." Naru steepled his fingers together, lost in theory.

"Do we tell him?" She asked.

He shrugged. "It won't change things for him."

She shook her head. "But that means his mother built this whole house, just to protect him. And he wants to sell it. He should know the truth."

Naru looked at her oddly for a moment. "Alright." He conceded.

"Thank...You." She said, aware that the air around them suddenly held an undercurrent that hadn't been there before.

Awkwardly, she shifted back in her seat, facing the monitors.

"Did you amplify Masako's powers?" She asked suddenly. She loved Masako like a sister, but she didn't honestly think the girl was stronger than Lin.

Yet Masako's seance has been somewhat more successful.

He looked at her in surprise. "I tried."

He admitted it hesitatingly. "I'm not sure how well it worked. I could amplify Gene's abilities to a degree, just as he could mine. But I'd never tried it with anyone else before."

"You did with me." She answered quietly, remembering the misshapen bullet. Though she had agreed to do experiments with him, they hadn't set any up yet. The topic had remained a kind of no-man's land, barren yet littered with pitfalls.

"Actually, that was more a matter of you matching your wavelength to mine than vice-versa." He acknowledge quietly.

"The way I can match Gene or Masako on the astral plane?" She asked, staring hard enough at the monitor she was surprised she hadn't burned a hole in it yet.

She was afraid to look at Naru.

"Gene had a variable wavelength also. It's why he was a "perfect medium". Masako has a wide and strong wavelength, but she cannot match perfectly to every spirit. Your wavelength can also vary, but your abilities are not that of a medium. It's of post and pre-cognition. Though you can connect to Spirits, particularly in your astral form, you most often seem to connect with the place itself. Your abilities are strongest regarding the place you are located at."

"So...I can match your wavelength and amplify your powers. Can you do the same thing for me?" She asked awkwardly.

Why did that question seem so intimate somehow?

But...it would make things more even between them.

"We won't know until we try. But I'm not sure we should here. Your abilities are already manifesting in new ways under the influence of the Staurolite." He replied.

Fair enough. No more somna-whatchamacallit for her, if you please.

"What about your psychometry?" She asked suddenly. She never saw him use it, at least that she could tell.

"It is not always as accurate as it used to be. Though I didn't need Gene nearby to use it in the past, for some reason, it suffered once he passed. The last, true long distance vision I had was of his death." Naru said quietly.

Mai nearly fell out of her chair. Not that at his answer, but that he had answered.

She swallowed, treading carefully. This conversation was suddenly a dark pool of water, living things slipped by unseen, but not toothless.

"Was Gene..." She wasn't like him, she didn't have all the words for what she knew.

She only knew it.

"I believe he was a conduit, of sorts. I never intended to see his death. Eventually I would have looked, of course. But In the end, I saw it by accident. I was borrowing a shirt of his. That was all it took. I still have the ability. But it isn't what it was."

She couldn't tell if his voice was sad or free. Maybe it was both, the way a mountain could be alone in the sky, a stark shadow against the sunset.

"Could I...". She looked up. Did she even want to say it? Wasn't she trying to do everything she could not to exist in Gene's shadow?

But not saying it didn't erase it. Unsaid, it would still live in that place between them where so many of their other words had gotten lost and died.

"What if I tried to help you? What if I acted as an amplifier again?"

He was still for moment, so still she thought perhaps she had only said them in her head, after all.

"The cliffs of Dover." He said suddenly, and she blinked.

Sensing her confusion, he explained. "Gene and I were adopted in America, but on the way home, there was an emergency at the SPR office in Paris. We detoured there, and came to England by boat after. The first time I saw England was at Dover. The cliffs are made of chalk, like you can see the bones of the world peeking through its skin. It's a funny thing to consider beautiful, I suppose. But something about it seemed honest, and at the time, I valued it more than beauty."

Slowly, a happy smile curved her lips. "That's your most beautiful things?"

"No." He said simply. "But I think it might have been my first."

It was enough. She had only ever wanted a piece of him.

She held out a hand. "I'm not sure how I actually...do...the wavelength thing."

"Well, if you're acting as an amplifier, in this case, I would do the work. But first we need a personal item of Miyazawa's."

She glanced around. "Isn't this whole house a personal effect?"

"Even if it wasn't made of Staurolite, there have been too many other people and impressions. Too much time." He explained it carelessly, heavy in thought.

"The fireplace?" She asked suddenly.

"Why?" Naru narrowed his eyes at her.

She leaned forward, pointing at the image of the Great Room. "John and I zoned out right there in front of it. Plus we just did a seance in that room, so maybe her presence in there will be stronger. Besides, the stone is funny."

He looked at her for a moment, then the screen. Suddenly he leaned forward, closer, until his nose nearly touched the screen.

"Funny stone." He said softly. "Mai, you should play the lottery sometime."

"Huh?" She asked, as he suddenly stood up. He grabbed her hand, pulling her with him.

She swallowed, nervous again suddenly.

She had gotten used to him touching her.

Well, she thought she had.

But of all the silly things...

He didn't usually hold her hand.

He'd carried her, pushed her, pulled her, gripped her wrist, and nearly everything else.

But this...

This was just a guy excited to show a girl something clever and it made her so happy and so angry-

Because she really wanted him to be hers.

But she was excited because he was holding her hand.

He was holding her hand because he was excited.

"This isn't Staurolite." He explained when they stood in front of the fireplace. He dropped her hand to lean closer, looking at the fireplace's mantle.

"Huh?" She was still lost in her musings.

"This 'funny stone' of yours, it's different from the rest of the house. It's a different rock. I'm not sure what it is, but it only matters that it isn't Staurolite." He explained, crouching down to run his hands across the hearth.

"Okay. Funny stone. So what does that me?" She said.

He looked up at her, extending a hand. "It means we can give it a try."

She looked at him. He and Gene had been identical, but for once, Naru actually reminded her of his older brother.

It made it easier to just be his partner when she wanted to be his everything.


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N: Sorry this chapter came up so late. I had events with the animal rescue both yesterday and today, so I didn't have as much free time as I usually do on a weekend. This case should have one more chapter after this one, then we'll segue into the next.**

 **So much love to my reviewers. This story has officially reached novel length (I repeat, I have now written a novel ON MY IPHONE for you guys).**

 **So reviews are deeply appreciated, lol.**

 **As Always, Not My Sandbox!**

 **Where The Light Enters**

 **"** **The Starlet In The Stone"**

 ** _"_** ** _Would you like an adventure now, or shall we have our tea, first?" - Peter Pan_**

"So, how exactly do we do this?" She asked, taking his hand after a moment.

"Come here." He pulled her down towards him, and she lost her balance, nearly falling into his lap.

Okay, maybe she could get into this whole 'share a wavelength' thing with him...

He glanced at her, the barest hint of a smirk on his lips, and she found herself fervently praying that he could not tell what she was thinking.

"With Gene, we did it nearly without trying. But your astral projection at times seems to border on psychometry already. You can meditate, correct?" He asked.

She nodded. Closing her eyes, she steadied her breathing. It was only a little challenging, since god's gift to Narcissism was still holding her hand.

After a moment, she nodded again. With her eyes still closed, she heard him shift a little closer.

"Place your other hand on the hearth." He said lowly. "If you see or sense anything, say it quietly. Even if it's random or seems meaningless."

Why did this sound like it had the potential to get very embarrassing very quickly?

"Focus Mai." He scolded quietly.

She pursed her lips in silent rebellion before focusing once more on her breathing.

 _It was like watching a movie in a darkened theatre. But there was no sound, and the reel kept skipping, flicking in and out of focus_.

 _A life full of color scattered across her consciousness like polaroids_...

"Naru..." She whispered.

 _It wasn't like her normal visions, the erratic transitions were making her feel slightly panicked._

 _Perhaps this was why she only had visions in her sleep_.

"It's okay, Mai." She heard his voice, and it steadied her a little. "This is how it can be sometimes."

"I can't tell who she's arguing with." She whispered, frowning.

 _It was too much, too fast. Sensory without sense_.

"Just breathe. You're doing fine..." He murmured.

Suddenly, her eyes flew open as she fell back, loosing her balance as she released Naru's hand.

There was a stinging pain in her cheek, but it was nothing compared to the fierce ache at the base of her skull.

"Did he hit her?" She whispered, eyes wide. Her heart was thundering in her ribcage, adrenaline soaring through her veins, like she had just wrestled some ferocious beast.

How did Naru do that all the time?

"Does something hurt?" He asked in sudden concern, leaning forward. He tilted her head up, towards the light to see her face better.

"I...don't know." She answered in bewilderment.

Already, the pain was fading.

"I often feel the pain of a victim's 'killing blow', so to speak. I did not expect you to. Otherwise I would have warned you." He said the words lowly, a touch of self recrimination in his voice.

"I let go too soon, didn't i?" She said in realization. "We didn't get enough..."

"It's alright. I got enough." He said, pulling her easily to his feet.

"Are you sure you're alright?" He asked again.

"Yeah, it's okay. I'm fine." She insisted.

The room was only spinning a little...

"Did you see where he took her?" She asked in trepidation.

She had no love for bodies, but she thought of the look on Reo's face when he spook about his mother.

He pulled a chain from his pocket. A clear crystal hung from its end, shaped like a diamond pointed downward.

"A pendulum?" She said in recognition.

Masako had one she used sometimes to communicate with spirits, but it was purple.

"Clear quartz..." Naru said, explaining absently by default. "Mediums often use Amethyst, but I always had better luck with plain quartz. I wasn't able to see everything clearly, but enough of what I saw is still impressed upon my subconscious that I may be able to use this for the rest."

She held her breath, as he dangled the crystal from its chain, waiting until it's motion came to a complete halt. It wasn't as easy as it looked, she knew. The one time she'd tried to use Masako's, her hand had jittered and shook too much.

After a moment, the crystal began to move in tiny, concentric circles. Slowly, the circles got bigger, but-

"It can sense it, but there's still too much interference." He said, frustration lacing his words.

On impulse, she reached out and took his free hand again.

The vision was probably impressed on her subconscious too, right?

The crystal's momentum faltered for a moment, and she started to release Naru's hand, afraid she was causing more problems than she was fixing. His hand tightened on hers, trapping her palm against his own. His eyes never left the pendulum, and slowly, the circles strengthened again.

As she watched, the circles became ovals, and then the ovals morphed into a smooth line, the crystal swinging strongly, like a playground swing.

It was pointed out the door, and Naru followed without hesitation. She trailed behind him, praying she wouldn't trip and mess everything up.

The crystal kept swinging, the motion too obvious to be anything mundane.

They were about to get some answers.

They followed the crystal as it lead them through the house. She thought it was about to take them out the back door, but at the last moment, it altered course. They paused at the top of the basement door. The crystal was swinging so hard it was knocking against the wood.

Tap-tap-tap-tap...

Somehow, it seemed too loud in the stillness of the sleeping house.

Mai suddenly had a mental image of skeletal fingers, begging entry upon the glass pane of a window.

She shivered. Naru looked at her in question, and she nodded, before her fears had a chance to grow and take deeper roots.

"Do it." She didn't want to hesitate and risk them losing their only lead.

She hadn't been on the team that had investigated the basement. Ayako and Bou-San had walked through and seen nothing abnormal. It was no surprise, the police had combed the basement years ago as well.

Naru flicked on the basement light, and slowly they eased down, step by step, careful not to jar the pendulum too much.

The basement had several rooms, one for storage, one housing the furnace, and the furthest one-

"The wine cellar." Naru murmured. "Staurolite does poorly under super-heated conditions, which is why a different rock was used on the fireplace. But it holds the cold well. They used it in the walls."

The walked through the room, following the pendulum as it led to the far right side. They were brought to a halt when the pendulum finally starting tapping against the wood of the shelf lining the wall. It was old, but still solid. The whole room smelled musty, however.

Stagnate.

"She's behind there, isn't she?" Mai whispered.

Naru nodded grimly. "She must be in the wall. But I don't want to move it without Sanda's permission. He may want to bring the police in first."

She nodded. She wasn't sure what it was, but for the first time since she'd come to this house, she was truly unnerved.

"I...don't like this room." She admitted.

He looked at her sharply. "You've gone pale again. Let's go upstairs and get the others."

She nodded in agreement. He closed his hand gently around the crystal, stilling it's frantic tapping. Putting it back in his pocket, he started towards the door, pulling her behind him.

Just as they got to it, however, it slammed shut in their faces.

Mai blinked in shock. She'd become complacent on this case, certain that the Staurolite would keep this kind of thing from happening.

"Well." Naru said, turning the knob to no avail. "At least we're on the same side of the door for once."

She nodded, wrapping her arms around her as she shuddered once. It was cool done here, and she was glad for her hoodie.

She turned in a circle, surveying the room.

Nothing else seemed to be happening, and she got no sense of anything _building_ , either.

"She's worried." Mai realized out loud. "So many people have come and gone, she doesn't realize that we were coming back for her."

As soon as she said it she knew it was true. Miyazawa's actions were wholly to keep them there, nothing more. She meant no harm, she was simply desperate.

Naru studied her. "Then it looks like we'll be here until the others come and find us."

Mai swallowed. "How long do you think that will be?"

The door opened inward, Naru wouldn't be able to kick it from their side.

Naru glanced at his watch. "Lin's shift starts in about two and a half hours. He'll check a few main rooms upstairs, then wake the others for a full search. It should be soon after that, I would guess."

"Well, on the bright side...I guess I won't be sleepwalking anywhere?" She tried to joke, but it sounded weak even to her.

He frowned. "Are you feeling alright?" He suddenly reached out a hand, placing it against her cheek.

She swallowed. "I'm tired." She admitted. "I guess I feel a little out of it."

"Sit before you fall." He ordered, helping her sit down with her back against the wall. He sat beside her, and she sagged against him, just a little.

"Are you that cold?" He asked, and she realized she was shivering again.

"It's okay." She shook her head. She didn't feel awful...

She just didn't feel great, either.

He searched her eyes, determining if she was holding anything back. Shrugging off his jacket, he draped it over her.

"Then it'll just be you that's cold!" She tried to argue, but he just shook his head.

"England is colder in general. It doesn't get to me the way it gets to you." He said off-handedly.

Arguing with him was like arguing with a raincloud, it did no good so she gave in gracefully.

"We need to be careful, in the future." He said, looking away from her.

"What?" She asked in confusion.

"You had the same look, back at the academy. After I used my powers. I chalked it up to the fact that you were already scared and exhausted. But tonight the same thing happened. Gene didn't seem to feel a physical toll when he assisted me. Perhaps because we were twins. I honestly don't know. But there appears to be repercussions for you when you channel my power. Since I can't even handle my power without taking damage, it wouldn't be surprising."

He looked a little melancholy.

"I'm just a little tired. Plus, this house isn't exactly a normal situation for us." She said gently.

"It isn't worth the risk." He said shortly, the sharpness in his voice startling her.

He worries so much about his team, she realized.

Their safety literally weighed on him.

They say in silence for a moment. Even though she had been reluctant to merge powers with him, she was equally reluctant to have him call off any future occasions just because he was worried about how strong she was.

Or wasn't.

But this wasn't the time to argue that.

Settling in beside him, she asked "So, how much were you able to see? Do you know who did it?"

"Only that it was a man. One she knew well. It wasn't a stranger." He admitted.

She frowned.

It really could be Reo's father then.

For some reason though...

It didn't sit right with her.

"What is it?" He asked.

She shook her head. "This house, this whole case. I don't know if I'm coming or going. It makes me uneasy."

He nodded. "I replayed the tape of you and John earlier. I should have recognized it sooner."

She wondered if he was talking so much to keep her mind off being trapped. She supposed she was too old for magic tricks.

"What?" She asked, playing along.

He shook his head. "You were standing in front of the fireplace, talking about something being missing. But what you meant was ' _absent_ '. You and John were standing in front of the only part of the whole house not made from Staurolite. The absence you were sensing was literally the absence of interference."

She frowned, picking through his explanation. "So, like with the radios, when we hit a pocket of interference, but the exact opposite?"

He nodded. "All of you had become so acclimated to the house's background interference that the absence of it in the Great Room was actually noticeable. That's why you described it as an open window. And that's why she tried to communicate with you and John. She was able to grasp your attention, but obviously whatever message she was trying to relay got lost along the way, probably due to the fact that you and John were in a 'clear' zone, but she was still here, trapped in the stone."

Mai blew out a breath. It made her feel a little bit better that Naru had pieced together that afternoon's mystery.

"I wish we could have figured out what happened to her." She said regretfully.

"Sometimes, the only answers are the body." Naru said it matter of factly. "But now Reo can lay her to rest, and John can exorcise her if she needs help moving along."

"It still sucks." She mumbled.

Beside her, he sighed softly. "Sometimes, this is what winning looks like."

For some reason, his words made her think of her scar. Just like their investigation, it wasn't pretty.

But it had still healed.

Perhaps Reo could do the same.

"Yasu met a girl, right after he started college." She said suddenly.

He probably didn't care, but the sound of her voice was better than her thoughts.

"Her name was Michiru, and I'd never seen him so...real, about anything before. I have now, off course. But back then, he was still hiding behind his jokes and teasing. But one look at her and he just..." She blew out a breath. "He fell in love."

"What happened?" Naru asked when she paused.

Mai looked over sadly. "She didn't. Fall in love, that is. But she strung him along. She was beautiful, but her family was really poor. Yasu actually has a rather large family. They have a large house, and on first glance, you might think they're really well off. But his Aunt and Uncle died a few years back, and Yasu's parents ended up taking in his four cousins. It put a real strain on things for them. Yasu started working a lot to try and ease the burden on his family. She was always wanting to do things or go places that sometimes he couldn't afford. And one day he came back to the dorm, to find Michiru in bed with his roommate, who was also his other best friend." She paused bitterly. "I'm sure it's just a coincidence that the guy was rich."

Naru was silent for a moment. "I take it he didn't handle it well."

She shrugged. "I don't think there is a recipe for a broken heart. He was nineteen and had just been betrayed by his girlfriend with his best friend. She made him feel inadequate. He took it to heart."

"So what happened then?" Naru asked.

She sighed. "We ended up at a lot of parties. He was drunk for the better part of two months. He'd get plastered and someone would finally call me and I'd come and get him and take him home. His parents didn't know what to do. He was in danger of losing his scholarship."

"What changed?" He asked.

"One night I went to get him from a party and it was really late. I didn't have money for a cab, so we took the train. He was sober enough to walk, but that was about it. I was at a point where I was struggling with my powers. Madoka has started working with me, but I was in my last year of high school, exhausted. We were on the train and I was wondering just how much more I could handle. Then the train crashed and I got my answer." She looked at her hands, remembering the feel of Yasu's blood, tacky and warm...

"He blames himself for your being on the train?" Naru realized.

Shem smiled. "If you could save the people you loved, would it bother you to wear it across your skin?"

Sometimes, she thought her scars were the most honest thing about herself.

"That's the reason behind the tension with him and Masako." Naru said with a nod.

"I think he's just about there. He just got worried for a while. Things are scary when they matter." She said with a smile.

"Scary when they matter..." Naru repeated musingly, drifting off into a comfortable silence.

She leaned against him just a little more, and when he didn't say anything, she let herself relax.

 _She blinked slowly, looking around the cellar._

 _"_ _Gene?" She asked in surprise. It was the clearest she had seen him since they'd come to the Sanda House._

 _"_ _Long time, no see." He replied as he helped her to her feet._

 _"_ _I'm not actually walking again, am I?" She asked in sudden concern._

 _Gene smiled, shaking his head. "My idiot brother gave me a stern talking to for allowing that to happen. But I knew he wouldn't let you get hurt."_

" _You've talked to Naru?" She asked in confusion._

 _"_ _Well, It was more like he talked_ _ **at**_ _me. But that's more a personality flaw of his than the house's fault. That being said, I'm not sure how long this dream will hold, even with the help." Gene was pulling her forward._

 _"_ _Help?" She said in confusion._

 _Gene gestured behind her, and she looked over her shoulder._

 _She wanted to stop, to stare for a moment to commit the sight to memory._

 _When was the last time she had seen Naru sleep?_

 _She stared at the two of them, nestled side by side on the stone floor. Her head had dropped onto his shoulder, and his head leaned against hers._

 _Sometimes she thought he was born to break her heart._

 _"_ _His power is adding to mine?" She realized, looking at Gene, who nodded._

 _As they started up the stairs, she remembered Naru's fear. "Is using his power hurting me?"_

 _Gene frowned. "It's complicated. But when you try to help him directly with his own abilities, you're using your body as the only conduit, so to speak. You're acting as a conductor. But when he helps you, I'm also here to channel the power. Divided by three, it seems to have much less of an effect."_

 _"_ _That's..." she paused._

 _Amazing..._

 _Confusing..._

 _ **Sad**_ _._

 _In the end, it was Gene's presence that ultimately allowed her to handle Naru's power. Yes, she was capable of it alone. But to be successful, she needed Gene._

 _She was the bridge between to two, again._

 _The walked through the kitchen. Mai noticed subtle differences._

" _This is the night Miyazawa died?" She guessed._

 _Gene nodded, leading her to the door of the Great Room._

 _She stood in the doorway, watching as one of the worlds most beautiful women sat in an armchair in front of the fire, sipping a drink as she stared at the flames._

 _"_ _I'll leave you two to it." Gene said, pressing a quick kiss to her temple._

 _He'd never done something like that before, and it surprised her enough that he was gone before she had the presence to say "Us two?"_

 _Who was he talking about? Her and Miyazawa?_

 _This was a memory, she couldn't interact with it..._

 _"_ _I see we're trying it your way..." A voice said from behind her, and she turned, stunned._

 _Her eyes widened in shock._

 _"_ _Naru?"_

0-0-0-0-0-0

A/N: So, some of you have read enough of the manga/light novels to know that eventually the twins gain a form of communication via mirrors. This is my own take on that, that is to say, in the last chapter, an overprotective Naru may have ripped Gene a new one for letting his precious Mai go sleepwalking.

On a side note, Gene thinks Naru's overprotectiveness is adorable. He also understands that there is only so much he can do for the two of them, as they have to come together (or not) on their own terms.


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N: Enjoy, Enjoy...I'm severely under caffeinated...so nothing clever here.**

 **Reviews are love!**

 **As always... Not My Sandbox!**

 **-RavensGame**

 **Ps- anyone here in the Fairy Tail Fandom? If I go play over on that playground next, anyone feel like reading it?**

 **"** **Sometime's I'm terrified of my heart; of it's constant hunger for whatever it is it wants. The way it starts and stops." - Edgar Allen Poe**

 _She stared at Naru in shock._

 _She wasn't sure she was equipped to share dreams with two Davis brothers._

 _"_ _How?" She breathed the word, completely ignoring the Spirit behind her._

 _Naru shrugged, looking for all the world as comfortable in her head as he was in the office._

 _Something about that seemed supremely unfair._

 _"_ _It appears to be Gene's doing. Neither one of us retained enough of the earlier vision to understand what happened, so he seems to be blending it together in bits and pieces from both of our memories." Naru surmised._

 _"_ _Oh." Was all she said._

 _Was all she could say._

 _She was, completely and unequivocally unprepared to have Naru walking around in her mind any more than he already did._

 _Naru arched a brow. "You asked for it, Mai. You wanted to know what really happened. It appears my brother took your request to heart."_

 _You mean to my head, right?_

Which you are currently in...

 _Naru was in her dream._

 _"_ _Still, if this is the clarity you normally have during a sleeping vision, I'm not surprised the earlier one upset you. I suppose I got used to translating the rapid fire images. This..." He gestured towards the room behind them where Miyazawa was still lost in her thought._

 _"_ _What?" She asked, shaking her head._

 _He looked at her, scrutinizing. "You're more talented than I realized. Is it always third person?"_

 _"_ _Huh?" She asked in confusion._

 _How could he be so nonchalant about this?_

 _"_ _At the mansion with the labyrinth underneath, you described your vision as first person dream? Do they vary?" He asked._

 _"_ _Oh. Ummm. When I'm the person it's a little scarier. Sometimes Gene acts them out with me then, but that means I see him and not the other person's face." She said_

 _As soon as she said it, it felt awkward, however._

 _"_ _He acts them out with you?" Naru's voice had a funny edge to it._

 _She thought back to her vision at the Okubu's cave, where she and Gene had re-enacted a lovers suicide pact..._

 _"_ _It's complicated." She said, blushing._

 _How do you explain to the guy you're in love with that while, yes, you do technically have dreams about his brother (and, technically about being his lover), but really, you're just friends..._

 _Naru said nothing, just watched her for a moment._

 _Suddenly, movement caught her eye behind him._

 _"_ _It's starting." She whispered, and Naru quickly stepped over to her side._

 _A man about Naru's height had walked into the room, shaking the rain off his clothes as he went. His hair was plastered to his face, but it did nothing to hide how haggard he looked._

 _He reminded her a little of how Yasu had looked after a particularly bad bender._

 _Miyazawa had stood at his entry, frowning._

 _"_ _Shinpachi, you were supposed to be here hours ago..." She said, shaking her head as she walked towards the man._

 _"_ _Well, I'm here now, aren't I?" He said angrily. He brushed of her hands as she reached for his jacket, obviously upset._

 _Mai frowned._

 _Shinpachi..._

 _Where had she heard the name before?_

 _Miyazawa narrowed her eyes. "What on earth happened to you?"_

 _She pushed his bangs to one side, revealing a darkening bruise._

 _He simply scowled at her, tension radiating of his frame._

 _She looked at him steadily. "What have you done now?"_

 _There was the faintest touch of dread in her voice._

 _He glared back. "Nothing I haven't done before...except this time, the floor boss caught me."_

 _She sucked in a breath. "How deep are you in?"_

 _Were they talking about gambling?_

 _Poker, maybe?_

 _Miyazawa asked the question grimly, but Mai got the feeling she wasn't surprised._

 _Just tired._

 _"_ _Not so deep you can't get me out, sister dear." He said, taking a step closer._

 _Shinpachi was Reo's Uncle, Mai remembered. He had passed away a few years back. The notes indicated the death had been related to alcoholism._

 _However, there had been in the file about Reo's Uncle being in the house that night._

 _She was shaking her head now. "I warned you. I warned you they'd figure out what you were doing eventually. That's not how we're supposed to use our gifts."_

 _"_ _Oh, what. Am I supposed to build a magic castle and hide away in it like a little princess, scared of all the ghosts and monsters?" He said the words sarcastically._

 _She shook her head. "I didn't want Reo growing up the way we did, scared to sleep at night."_

 _She paused. "I can't give you any more money, not without my husband finding out. He was furious the last time I bailed you out. We're already fighting over the fact that I'm letting you do the remodel in the basement."_

 _"_ _And it's getting done, isn't it?" He yelled angrily, slamming his palm against the mantle._

 _"_ _Shinpachi, you got drunk and smashed a hole in the wrong wall!" She cried out. "I gave you that house key so you could come in tonight and fix it before my husband realizes two walls down there are destroyed instead of one!"_

" _He'll never find out. I pushed the shelf back in front of the hole. You can't even tell it's there. I'll fix it tonight and no one will be the wiser tomorrow when they see the second one I've already started. But I can't do anything without money!" Shinpachi growled the last part._

 _Miyazawa shook her head. "I won't do it. Not again. You have to get your gambling under control!"_

 _"_ _Don't you understand what those guys will do to me if I don't get them their money?" Shinpachi roared, laying a slap hard enough on Miyazawa's face to send her stumbling. She tripped on the edge of the rug, pinwheeling as she tried to regain her balance._

 _The fall was graceful._

 _The sound of her head hitting the hearth was not, however._

 _There wasn't even any blood._

 _"_ _It broke her neck." Naru murmured quietly beside her. "It must have been instantaneous."_

 _She wished she was still holding his hand._

 _For long, endless moments Shinpachi merely stood staring with stunned eyes at his lifeless sister, laying like a broken doll._

 _Outside, the storm still raged, an uneasy counterpoint to the stillness in the room._

 _He knelt woodenly, reaching out with a shaking hand. Placing it against her neck, he paled._

 _As Mai watched, something in his eyes seemed to harden._

 _"_ _Don't panic..." he muttered to himself. "Think, Shinpachi..."_

 _With a sudden look of resolve, he grabbed his sister's body, hefting it over his shoulder, heading past them out of the room._

 _Miyazawa's sightless eyes stared into Mai's as they passed, and Mai shuddered._

 _She didn't need to follow them downstairs to know what happened next._

 _He had sealed her up in the wall, in a hole already dug that no one but he had known about._

 _He'd left the other hole visible for the investigators, and no one was ever the wiser._

 _He'd come so late in the night no one else had seen him, and the sounds of the storm raging outside must have masked any sound._

And because of their fight, Reo's father had fallen under suspicion.

Mai blinked, shivering hard.

"Are you back with me?" Naru's voice was low, ghosting into the shell of her ear.

She nodded jerkily, looking around the cellar. Her muscles were stiff, and despite Naru's jacket she was cold. She could hear a banging on the door.

"Noll? Mai?" It was Lin's voice. He sounded...perturbed.

She hoped she didn't get blamed for this.

"The door is jammed." Naru answered in reply. "You'll have to pry it open."

Then- "And you'll want to bring a pick ax."

She stood unsteadily, Naru's hand at her elbow, and it made her remember the night he had explained to her that ladies were supposed to walk on the inside of the sidewalk.

Gallantry should look effortless...

A few minutes later, the rest of the team plus Reo had rushed inside the (now broken) door.

"Are you alright?" Reo had rushed over to Mai and Naru in concern. Something in their eyes must have warned him, because he stilled suddenly, watching them wordlessly.

Naru nodded at her, and she gently took Reo's hand, wordlessly leading him over to the wall.

"How fond are you of this shelf?" She asked quietly.

He stared at her wordlessly for a moment, before he turned and pushed the shelf over with a bang.

Together, they stared at the now-exposed wall.

There was a collection of inhaled gasps from the team.

Mai felt Masako take her hand. Bou-San and Ayako had come to stand behind her in a show of silent support.

The repair had obviously been hurried, but it had done the job. The concrete had cracked over time, a large brown stain discoloring it. Darker rivers of some unknown fluid had dried down the wall over the years.

Reo stared at the wall, swallowing. Then he grabbed the pick ax from Bou-San, swinging it at the wall so hard Mai had to jump back to avoid being hit with chips of flying cement.

Reo tore at the wall like a man possessed, until large chunks of concrete were piled underneath the stain. Finally, what looked to be the edge of a piece of plastic sheeting peeked through.

Lin and Bou-San wrestled him back then.

"Let the police do the rest." Naru said calmly.

Reo turned to them, chest heaving.

"He did it. My father really killed her.." His voice was laced with despair.

"No." Mai said gently, leading him upstairs. John took his other side, and she smiled, grateful for his calming presence.

"If your ready, we'll tell you everything." She said.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Hours and several phone calls later, the house was a flurry of activity. Police, the coroner, the inevitable press.

Reo stood with the team in the kitchen, watching as people came and went.

"They've nearly finished freeing the body." Ayako reported gently. As a Doctor, the police had allowed her to stay downstairs and watch on Reo's behalf.

"For what it's worth, I believe Naru is right. When she fell, she hit the back of her neck on the edge of the hearth." Ayako paused, but Reo nodded for her to continue. "It was immediate, and I doubt she suffered."

Reo stared grimly out the window. "I barely even knew my Uncle. He and my father hated each other. After my mother disappeared, so did he. Dad said it was because the money dried up."

"All this time, I've blamed my father. I stood by silently while other people blamed my father." Reo's voice held a lifetime of pain.

"No one could have expected this. Your mother gave your Uncle a key specifically so he could enter without anyone seeing him. Unfortunately, he used it to his advantage." John said quietly.

They turned solemnly as a stretcher with a black body bag was carried quietly out of the stairwell and out the back door.

"Wait!" Mai cried, suddenly determined.

Surely it didn't always have to end like this.

"Naru, I need you! Reo-San, please follow me!" She said, dashing out the door.

"Mai..." Naru said warningly, already having figured her out. Reo simply followed in sad bewilderment.

"It's okay, Naru. I can do it. We're outside now, plus, Gene can help." She pleaded.

"You're already exhausted, and Gene probably is too." Naru pointed out in warning.

"Just for a moment." She begged. "Just put us under. They're both psychic."

The truth was, she was exhausted. But Reo would never get another chance to do this.

If she could be a bridge between Naru and Gene, surely she could do something for the Sanda's.

"What are you talking about?" Reo asked as they reached the gurney. The body bag looked so small and final.

"Reo." She turned to face him. "Naru has explained that I'm a variable wavelength psychic. I can change my wavelength to match most ghosts. But I can also do it for other psychics."

She held out a hand expectantly. "What do you say?"

"Are you implying I'm psychic?" Reo asked in consternation.

Mai smiled softly. "Both your mother and uncle were. Your mother built his house to protect you. So I'd say, yes. But I know one way to prove it."

She held her breath, hoping both Reo and Naru would cooperate.

Just for once, she wanted to save someone living.

"Three minutes." Naru warned, and she wanted to hug him, but the men pushing the gurney were already getting impatient.

"Trust me?" She asked Reo.

"I do." He answered, sounding a little surprised. "What now?"

"Listen to Naru and do exactly as he says..."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

 _She looked around her Tea Shop in anticipation._

 _Four cups were out before her and she grinned._

 _"_ _I see you're rather pleased with yourself..." Gene smiled at her fondly._

 _She laughed as the bell over the door jingled and Reo walked in, looking dazed._

 _"_ _Mai?...Davis-San?" Reo's confusion was obvious._

 _Gene winked at her. "That's not...incorrect."_

 _Reo walked forward. "Where are we?"_

 _Mai smiled at the dazed man. "This is my Astral Plane. This is where I rest and control what visions I normally see. It's safe, I promise."_

 _Reo opened his mouth to ask another question, but then, the bell behind them jingled again._

 _Miyazawa Sanda really was beautiful._

 _Reo stood there, gaping._

 _"_ _Mom?" He asked, sounding impossibly young._

 _The woman smiled so warmly it made Mai's chest hurt._

 _The two flew at each other, embracing in a hug so joyous that Mai turned away to give them some privacy. She studied Gene instead._

 _"_ _Are you okay?" She asked, worried that he is been taxing himself to help them solve this case._

 _Gene leaned forward conspiratorially "Well, I'm a little tired, but the good news is, it isn't going to kill me."_

 _She gaped at him._

 _Had he really just made a joke about being dead?_

 _"_ _Relax, Mai. The things you can't change are the ones you should laugh about the most." He chided._

 _She nodded numbly. "Thank you. For what you did. For what you are doing. For me, and for them."_

 _He arched a brow. "Don't forget to thank my idiot brother..."_

 _She flushed, remembering Gene's kiss on her temple._

 _"_ _Gene..." She trailed off, unsure. "Why did you choose to be my Spirit Guide? Was it because I was able to match wavelengths with you? Because I was near Naru?"_

 _He frowned. "Both of those are reasons. But part of it was just you. You're so accepting. It made it easy to be near you. Noll felt the same way, I could tell. That's why he asked you to come work for him."_

 _She shook her head. "That was just sympathy for My being an orphan."_

 _"_ _In part. But the truth is, Noll doesn't connect well with many people. Even before he knew you were an orphan, and long before he knew about m_ e, _he saw you." Gene said, looking at her intently._

 _"_ _Of course he saw me." Mai answered, confused._

 _"_ _Have you ever seen a black and white movie?" Gene asked._

 _She nodded._

 _"_ _Now imagine just one character was in color." He said, looking at her meaningfully._

 _She stared at him in shock._

 _Suddenly she was hugged from behind._

 _"_ _Thank you..." A light, feminine voice whispered in her ear, and for just a moment she let herself pretend it was her own mother._

 _"_ _Times up." Gene announced..._

She looked around. At some point she and Reo had sat down on the glass outside. She could feel the dampness seeping through her shorts, but she was too tired and too happy to care.

For once, they had gotten everything right.

Suddenly Reo stumbled to his feet.

An older man in a wheel chair was being pushed towards them. He looked frail, obviously in poor health.

"Dad." Reo's whisper was agonized as he stumbled forward, falling to his knees in front of the man's chair. He wrapped his arms gently around his waist, laying his face down in his lap. His shoulders were shaking, and Mai knew he was crying.

"Congratulations, Mai. You gave him his mother back." Naru said in her ear.

She looked up at him, smiling. "We did." She corrected.

"But you really are a foolish scientist if you think that's what this all was about." She said, looking back over at the father and son.

"What do you mean?" Bou-San asked.

She smiled again. "He never expected to get his mother back. But deep down, he was hoping to get his father back."

Just once, they'd gotten everything right.


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N: Dear Readers,**

 **We are getting very close now. The entire rest of the story has been officially been outlined (over a thousand words on it's own), and believe me when I say it's going to be a wild ride. All bets are off. From this moment on, EVERY CHAPTER COUNTS. Even the pointless things will end up having meaning. This story is no longer meandering anywhere. Things are going to be moving very quickly.**

 **It is officially endgame.**

 **You will start seeing things you haven't seen before. Perspectives from other characters. Chapters that are overly long or surprisingly short. I promise, bear with me. In the end, everything connects. Some things are so important they have to stand on their own. Please review, even if you're frustrated or confused. Parts of this story are meant to make you feel that way.**

 **Love isn't supposed to be easy.**

 **I have a habit of writing my stories backwards. So from the first moment we met, we have all always known that this story culminates with Mai and Naru on that cliff top, struggling in the moonlight...**

 **Or does it?**

 **As always, and as one of my awesome reviewers pointed out- Not My Sandbox, Just My Sandcastle.**

 **-RavensGame**

 **Where The Light Enters**

 **"** **Control/Chaos"**

 ** _"_** ** _The wound is the place where the light enters." - Rumi_**

"Noll."

Oliver made a face at the English nickname his new "parents" had bestowed upon. While he supposed that shortening Eugene to 'Gene' made sense, he'd certainly never heard his name abbreviated as 'Noll', before.

He was certain the Davis's had done it to try and foster a sense of familiarity between the four of them, but he remained unimpressed. Perhaps, as Martin and Luella were 'psychic researchers', they found the boys charming (as opposed to viewing them as a circus sideshow as the others in the orphanage had), but in the end, they too would abandon them.

His naive older brother, ever the optimist however, had fully embraced their new life.

"Noll!" Gene's voice was more insistent as he came up to him. "It's time to go down to tea..."

He surveyed the damaged room with dismay.

"Again?"

Oliver shrugged. It had happened to him more times then he could ever count.

"I'll help." Gene smiled, acting as if it didn't bother him.

Oliver didn't understand him. For all his visions and nightmares, the truth is, he was much more normal than his younger sibling. Had he not always insisted on staying by Oliver's side, he might have been adopted years ago.

"Worried Mommy and Daddy will be mad?" He asked snidely.

Gene stilled. "I know what you're trying to do, Oliver."

His voice was low and intense, much like when the dead were speaking through him.

"You think you can drive them away. It's easier to do this than to try and learn to control your powers. Because then, you'd have a chance at a real family. A real future."

Oliver scoffed.

"I'm not afraid of anything."

Gene smiled sadly. "Only yourself."

0-0-0-0-0-0

Noll glared at the tall man in front of him. They'd been locked in a staring contest for at least twenty minutes now. Gene had given up and went to work on his homework.

Noll stood up. "This is stupid. You're stupid. Why should I listen to some Chinese man who can't even brush his hair out of his own eyes?"

"Sit down, and try again."

Noll stared daggers at the candlestick, but it refused to move.

"How much are my parents paying you, anyway?" He tried changing the subject.

"Focus, Noll." The man said again.

"You can't teach me. You can't even do it yourself, so what can you possibly teach me?" He jeered, purposefully baiting the man.

Lin sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Look, I think we can agree that neither one of us like the other. So if you will just shut up and listen, we can be done with your training sooner."

"There's nothing you can teach me that I want to learn." Noll snapped, pushing away from the table and stomping to the door.

"Control." Lin's voice was frustrated but sure. "I can teach you control. You can't enjoy your powers going out of control? Collapsing because you've exhausted yourself? Hurting your family members?"

The man walked closer. "Tell me Noll. Do you play with the other kids at school?"

Noll scoffed. "The other children are imbeciles."

"Is it that, or are you scared you're going to hurt them? After all, your books don't bleed when you break them." Lin's voice held a hint of challenge.

The boy hesitated at the doorway. "Can you really make it stop?"

"I can teach you to control it." Lin replied.

"What about the dead people? Can you stop that also?" The boy's voice was low enough Lin had to lean forward to hear the question.

"Do you see spirits also?" Lin asked in confusion.

"No. Just their lives. How they died. When I touch stuff." The boy was frustrated.

When would his mind belong only to him?

Lin sighed.

Psychometry also.

No wonder this boy was so unpleasant.

"That can be controlled also." He said.

The boy sighed. "Control..."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Are you sure you don't want to come to Japan with me, _Doctor Davis_?" Gene said teasingly from where he stood by his bed, packing his suitcase.

"Jealous?" Noll asked with an arch of his brow.

Gene only shook his head, laughing. "Seriously though, we lived there until we were four. Aren't you the least bit curious?"

Noll leaned against the doorframe. "Not in the slightest. Besides, I have a full load this semester."

"Always the over-achiever." Gene teased.

"Didn't you tell mother you were going to study Shinto-style exorcisms?" Noll asked.

Gene shrugged. "That too. But mostly, I just...want to go. I can't explain it any better."

"You could simply control the urge?" Naru suggested drily.

"Ah...Control. Your favorite word. Had I known how seriously you were going to take my advice all those years ago, little brother, I'd have included some key words such as 'smile', ,laugh', and Mother's favorite- 'Girlfriend'." Gene laughed harder at Noll's unamused face.

"Seriously, though. Come with me. It's not forever. Maybe you'll even meet a girl." Gene urged.

"You'll be fine. Lin's accompanying you, isn't he?"

0-0-0-0-0-0

Noll impatiently rifled through his brother's closet. His own shirt had lost a button, and he was going to be late for class.

There it was.

He grabbed it off the hanger, walking into his brother's bedroom.

Hours later, a frantic Luella found him there, sitting on Gene's bed.

Gene's shirt hung limply from one hand as he looked at her.

"Gene's dead."

Luella gasped, clutching the doorframe in support, as much from the calm emptiness in her son's eyes as his words.

She wondered if he even realized there were tears running down his face.

The setting sun cast spiderwebs of shadows across the room, as the window panes in this room (along with every other room in the house) has shattered as if hit with a stone.

But though they were destroyed, not a single fragment of glass had actually fallen out.

 _Control_.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

" _ **We are all broken, that's how the lig**_ ** _ht gets in."- Ernest Hemingway_**

Kaho Taniyama stared at her daughter in surprise. It was barely five in the morning, but already the little girl was up, nestled into the couch cushions watching cartoons blearily.

"Mai, did you have a nightmare?" She asked, brushing her daughter's hair out of her eyes.

While her daughter had always fallen asleep easily, she had a tendency to have bad dreams.

"Kinda" The child scrunched up her nose. "I had this dream about you and Daddy sitting at the kitchen table. There were these papers on the table. He was on the phone with some doctor, and you were crying."

Kaho paused, a shiver running down her spine.

Surely not.

She'd only been two...

"I must have told you about that." She murmured, staring uneasily at her daughter.

Mai shrugged. "I guess. If you say so."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Mai, sweetie. Your homeroom teacher called again. He says you kept falling asleep in class all this week. Are you having trouble sleeping again?" Kaho asked worriedly.

Mai shrugged, embarrassed. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to. It's just hot and stuffy in there."

Kaho sighed, rubbing her forehead wearily. She really needed a better job so she could spend more time at home with Mai.

"It's because you're always daydreaming, sweetie. One minute you're daydreaming, the next you've fallen asleep. You have to get this under control. Feet on the ground-"

"Head out of the clouds." Mai finished, abashed. "I really am sorry, Mom."

"Someday you'll be on your own, and you'll never make it if you don't face reality straight on, okay sweetie?"

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Hey, Mom..." Mai stood uneasily at the kitchen counter. "Do you really have to take that job all the way across town at the new office?"

Her mother ruffled her hair. "It's better pay, and better hours. Next year you take high school entrance exams. You don't want to have to go to some low class school just because I can't afford the school you want, do you?"

"Yeah, But it's a lot of driving..." Mai pointed out, unsure just what was making her uncomfortable.

"Well, honey. I'm car pooling." Her mother put her hands on her hips. "What is this really about? Another dream?"

Mai laughed. "No." She hadn't remembered one of her dreams in years. "I don't know. I guess I'm just nervous because it's different."

Kaho kisses her forehead. "Oh Mai, we can't be afraid to live."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Mai wiped to condensation off the mirror as she stared at her reflection, dry eyed.

It was her last night in this apartment. Tomorrow she was moving in with Satome- Sensei.

She knew she was lucky the school counselor was taking her in.

She knew she was lucky she wasn't going to an orphanage.

She was lucky she didn't have to change schools or leave her friends.

She knew she was lucky because everyone kept telling her just how lucky she was.

It was lucky that her mother's death had been so quick.

Lucky that the Doctors said it had been painless.

Lucky that someone had stepped forward to claim an unneeded child.

She suddenly punched the glass with all her might. Cracks spiderwebbed across its surface, splintering her reflection into a dozen pieces.

She didn't feel very lucky.

"Tch." It was Hina-San, her elderly next door neighbor. She'd agreed to keep an eye on Mai during her last night at home.

"You'd better get behavior like that under control, or that teacher of yours will pack you off to an orphanage quicker than you can cook rice." The old woman advised, walking away.

She stared at her reflection. For once, it looked the way she felt.

" _Control_." She whispered


	30. Chapter 30

**A/N: Did my last Author's Note scare you?**

 **Damn, I guess I'll have to try harder...**

 **Not My Sandbox!**

 **Where The Light Enters**

 **"** **Lions & Tigers & Bears"**

 **"** **When I saw you I fell in love, and you smiled because you knew." -William Shakespeare**

"A zoo?" Mai said, looking down at the case file in surprise.

Naru stood in the doorway of the office's small kitchen area. "It's abandoned. All the animals were sent to other zoological parks. The water and lights are still one, and the manager has been acting as a groundskeeper. The Board of Directors has been trying to decide whether to invest the needed funds to re-open it, or sell it."

He walked a little further into the room and she smiled, biting her lip and looking down to hide

the expression.

She couldn't help it, ever since their last case together her mind had been flooded with thoughts of him.

Focus!

Okay. The case.

A zoo. _Lions, tigers and bears, oh my..._

Mai frowned. "In my experience, don't groups like that always just sell?"

Naru nodded. "Normally, I'd agree with you. But the area where the zoo is located isn't zoned for commercial business, so apparently it's possible the land would sell at a loss. The manager hopes our investigation will disprove the rumors of the zoo being cursed that led in part to its closure."

"Huh. He must be pretty passionate about his job." She said, frowning.

 _Stop staring at your boss you look like a moron, Mai_

It sounded like a lot of effort to save something that was probably past its prime.

"Apparently he started working there as a teen and worked his way up." Naru supplied, walking up to her.

She stilled, every sense attuned to his every damn move.

At the last moment, he reached around her to place his cup on the counter. The movement brought his face dangerously close to hers and their eyes locked.

The silence between them seemed filled with new things.

Possibilities.

Mai wasn't sure exactly what this was between them.

Chemistry? History?

But Gene's words kept echoing in her mind.

It was true.

Naru hadn't known about Gene until the end. And they'd worked their first case together without him even knowing she was an orphan.

And if Naru had used her to help adjust to his brother's death, did she really begrudge him that?

In the end, did it matter what they started out as if they made a mutual choice to be something else?

"Let's go to the zoo." She smiled at him.

Slowly, _so slowly_ , he smiled back.

Just a little.

She could work with that.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"This place is incredible." Mai whispered as she walked with Ayako and Bou-San.

Masako and Yasu were still at the local library, getting some last minute research done before they met the Team at the zoo.

Naru, Lin and John were setting up their base in the old visitors center. There hadn't been any nearby hotels, so they had sleeping bags set up in two of the rooms. She had offered to help, but the guys had waved her off.

Recently, it seemed like Naru didn't expect her to do as much of the physical labor, which was both annoying and charming.

Damn gallantry.

So now she was exploring.

Ayako shook her head. "Naru called this a 'small' zoo, but it seems large to me...". They walked through the old reptile house.

It was amalgam of white columns and empty tanks. The tropical plants dotting the interior were half dead or dying.

A hush hung over the building.

"One caretaker isn't enough for a place this big. If the board doesn't make a decision soon, this place will get too rundown to reopen." Bou-San agreed.

Mai shivered as she shined her flashlight around. Though there was still power, a lot of the bulbs had burnt out and the manager had explained that there were currently no funds to order more. The beam of her light bounced off the glass walls of the tanks, and in her imagination, she could hear the rustling murmur of scales against carpet.

She shivered despite the damp heat. The place was like a sauna.

A really creepy one.

They walked outside, heading to the aviary next. Something about the bars on the cages made Mai think of an abandoned prison, where the escapees had literally taken fight. The building was open and airy, and this time her mind produced an echo of wings.

"It's easy to become fanciful in a place like this." She said, blinking in the early autumn sunlight. It was still quite warm, and she was enjoying the break from her course work.

"That's one of the reason's Naru wanted a walk through before we got the details of the case." Ayako reminded her.

They passed several outdoor pens. Without the animals, they took to guessing what animal might have once been housed there.

"Lions". Mai said, looking down into a deep enclosure with stunted trees. The top was covered with a sturdy wire netting, probably to stop any...chance encounters.

"Polar bear." Ayako stated as the walked past a pen with smooth walls and a gently sloped floor. The whole thing was painted a faded white, probably to mimic snow.

On the far side was a building designed to look like a huge rock. It had sturdy metal doors, and when they opened it, they were surprised not only by the smell of fish, but by a blast of frigid air.

"Penguin house!" The cries in unison, backing away quickly and letting the door shut.

They wandered across a bridge over a small pond, and Mai wondered if colorful flamingos had once strutted through the now muddy water.

 _Or if crocodiles had once waited patiently for the unwary_...

They came to an enclosure that looked like a deep in-ground pool.

"It's still full of water?" Ayako asked, walking up to the edge and peering down.

Mai followed. She could see at the far end, the ground sloped upward, creating a steep incline out of the water. But the enclosure was huge.

The water was still and somewhat brackish. Cleaner than the pond, but nothing that could be termed "pleasant".

What on earth needed something so deep and big?

By their feet was a ladder, built into the wall leading down into the water's murky depths.

The edge where they stood was nearly five feet above the water line.

"Seals?" Mai hazarded a guess.

"Or walruses?" Ayako added doubtfully as she peered down.

Bou-San shook his head. "I bet it was hippos. Those things get massive and prefer water to land."

"I've never seen on in real life." Mai murmured.

They wandered on, moving in a rough circle back towards the visitor's center.

"Red panda." Bou-San said with a smile as they passed a small enclosure with a miniature tree inside.

"A red panda?" Ayako asked, turning to him with a smile. Leaning forward, she wrapped her arms around his neck, and he wrapped his around her waist in return.

"What?" He asked with a grin. "They're my favorite!"

"Oh, your favorite, huh?" Ayako murmured, leaning in to give him a kiss.

Mai made an embarrassed face as she tiptoed away, wanting to give the lovebirds some space. They were nearly back to the visitors center.

 _Probably_.

Maybe the visitor's center had some old maps...

It was a little eerie, now that she was on her own. While she'd been with the others, it had felt like a game. But now that she was on her own, the zoo held that same strange quality you found in empty places that were meant to be filled with people.

Like empty schools at night, or the way the Tea Shop has felt after closing time, when she'd been the last one there.

Haunted, but not necessarily by the dead.

By the echo of having recently contained so much life.

A place where you still heard the echo of laughter, or if you turned your head quickly enough, you'd catch someone walking by in the corner of your eye.

The wind gusted then, blowing her hair across her face as dead leaves danced around her feet.

The lack of maintenance in the park had led to many of its trees losing their leaves earlier than the season indicated.

It was like the zoo was it's own pocket of time.

She walked through a decorative gate, stopping in surprise.

It was an overgrown garden. Raised beds made of decorative stone dotted the landscape, with trees in strange shapes.

Overgrown topiaries, perhaps?

It was a strange mix of whimsy and neglect, and she felt little like Alice in Womderland as she wandered through, her feet echoing quietly on the paved walk way.

At the garden's center, there was a beautiful fountain.

The outside was decorated in a mosaic of brightly colored stones, blue and green and scarlet. They formed the shapes of dancing animals winding around its base.

It, too, was still running, and looking into the water, she could still see the occasional coin lying on the fountain's bottom.

Charmed, she walked around it slowly, marveling at the workmanship. It had to be ten feet across, and the ledge formed by its basin wall was easily wide enough to sit on.

She could imagine laughing children running around the garden while their exhausted parents took a seat (and a much needed break).

A bright spot of color caught her eye, and she moved away from the fountain towards one of the garden beds. A deep red flower bloomed, it's waxy petal shone in the late afternoon sunlight like old blood. While most of the garden was dead, this flower still bloomed undeterred. She bent down, running a finger along it gently.

"Anthurium." A voice behind her said, and she whirled with a shriek.

Instinctively clasping her amulet, she stared, chest heaving, at the man in front of her.

"It's sometimes referred to as the world's longest blooming flower." He said, walking forward to kneel beside the garden. Gently, he began to pull the weeds away from the flower's base.

Mai swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry. Her heart was still hammering in her chest.

"Are...are you the manager?" She asked finally, regaining her senses.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. You weren't at the office when Shibuya-San took the case, were you? I am Hideo Kurosawa. Pleased to meet you. You are, I assume, with the team from Shibuya Psychic Research?"

She nodded, remembering her own manners. "I'm Mai Taniyama. I'm an investigator with SPR."

She studied the man. He appeared to be in his mid forties, well groomed but tired looking. Idly, she ran her amulet up and down its chain.

Her pulse was still racing.

"Mai!" Bou-San and Ayako were running through the gate. "What's wrong?"

"We heard yelling!" This time it was John and Naru, Lin trailing behind as they entered from the garden's other side. They must be next to the visitor's center.

She held up her hands, embarrassed. "It's okay. I'm fine."

"It's my fault, actually. I'm afraid I startled her." Kurosawa spoke up from beside her.

She walked over to Naru, smiling. "I didn't realize he was behind me."

He stared at her for a moment, searching her eyes, and she realized her scream must have truly worried him. There was just the tiniest muscle twitching in his jaw.

"I'm sorry." She repeated again, lowly, just for him. Without thinking, she reached out, touching his arm as she smiled at him crookedly.

He swallowed, quickly morphing into the unflappable investigator she knew so well.

"Let's make sure everyone has radios the next time you go out." He said out loud.

Mai looked down as her phone chirped.

"Looks like Yasu and Masako are here." She said, reading the text.

Naru nodding, placing a hand on her shoulder to urge her gently to base. "Now that we've done a rough walkthrough, let's hear what Yasu has found."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Yasuhara-San is one of our best researchers. And you've probably seen Hara-San on television."

Naru made quick introductions as they all sat around a large conference table in the visitor's center.

Lin and the others had made quick work of the monitors and shelving. But thinking back over the sheer size of the park, she was unsure how they would be able to cover even a small portion of it with cameras.

She found herself seated between John and Naru, an arrangement she found comforting.

Kurosawa was seated across from her, and perhaps she imagined it, but was he watching her?

Granted, her shriek had literally sent the entire team running, so she had brought the undue attention on herself in the first place.

"So, I believe I have a pretty good grasp on the Zoo's history." Yasu said, laying out some files, photos, copies of newspaper articles. "Kurosawa-San,I know none of this will be news to you, but please bear with us."

"Of course." Kurosawa agreed easily. He sat in his chair comfortably, not a hair out of place.

So why did she feel like she was watching a spider out of the edge of her eye, hoping it wouldn't turn out to be the kind that bites?

This place really was getting to her...

"Before we start, did the three of you notice anything worth telling?" Naru asked, looking first at her, then Ayako and Bou-San.

The three of them glanced at each other then back at Naru, shaking their heads.

This place was beautiful and eerie and somewhat sad. But nothing had reached out to her.

"Masako? I know you only just got here..." Naru trailed off as he narrowed his eyes at his youngest team member.

Mai grew concerned as she, too looked the girl over.

Masako was quite pale. She actually looked almost green. "I may need to lay down." She admitted quietly.

The last time Mai had seen her like this had been when they had been investigating Ayami's house.

"There are that many spirits here?" John asked in concerned confusion.

"Yes. But it isn't what you're thinking." She replied. "If there are human spirits here, I honestly haven't even had the chance to feel them. There are too many animal spirits present."

"Animal spirits?" Naru asked in surprise as the others looked at Masako, confused.

Lin frowned. "I've heard of family pets lingering on occasion, and some of the land sprits take animal form. But zoo animals? In such a large number?"

"They don't have thoughts and feelings the way humans do." Masako elaborated, glancing at Yasu. "But when they experience strong enough emotions like panic or fear often enough, yes. Their passing leaves a definite imprint on the place. It's a little like hearing ten radio stations at once."

"Living in a zoo is that horrible for them?" Mai asked, heart broken. She had loved the zoo as a child.

Below the table, she felt Naru's leg bump hers comfortingly, and she bumped back without thinking.

"My god, we're flirting.." A random part of her brain thought while she stared at Masako.

"Not necessarily..." Masako trailed off, looking again at Yasu.

"But they do when they've been abused or mistreated." Yasu said grimly, laying out the last of the newspaper articles.

"Kurosawa, I apologize for saying this, but this park was very poorly run. And not just the safety violations that led to the human deaths, but I found numerous complaints regarding the animal's safety and welfare. Over a dozen led to investigations."

All eyes swiveled to Kurosawa, who nodded grimly. "You're correct, Yasuhara-San. Though it pains me deeply to say it, this zoo was very poorly run in its last twenty years. I only became Manager in the last year of its operation. Before that, though an employee, my hands were tied regarding many things. I did what I could, but it was very little, in truth. I have worked here since I was in school myself, and was forced to watch the declining standards. The Zoo's owner and founder was quite senile at the end. He'd dedicated his life and fortune to the zoo's existence. This was once a beautiful, happy place. Our animals were well cared for, and several nearly extinct species flourished here. But as Okita-San, the owner, grew older and frailer, the board took over management. Many of them had never even set foot inside."

"They made decisions based on money, I assume." Bou-San guessed.

"That is correct. Corners were cut. Rules were overlooked. Patronage dropped. Eventually, not only animals but humans died. Then rumors surfaced that the Park was haunted. In truth, the only curse on this place, in my opinion, was that people valued money over life. That's why I hired your team. If I can disprove the rumors of a curse, I can convince the board to reopen the park, and run it the way it deserves to be run. The way Okita-San envisioned it."

"But why?" Ayako asked, and Mai nodded.

Sometimes it really was best to let go of the past. Especially if so many animals had already died here.

Yasu cleared his throat, looking awkwardly at Kurosawa again.

"It's alright, Yasuhara-San. You can tell them." Kurosawa smiled.

"Kurosawa is actually Okita's son." Yasu said finally.

Naru frowned. "I beg your pardon?"

Mai smiled at little at the oddness of the English phrase in Japanese.

Kurosawa bowed his head. "That is correct. My mother had an affair with Okita-San, though they never married. Years later, I came here to work to get to see what kind of person he was. I never had the courage to tell him who I was, however. I regret it deeply."

Naru studied the man for a moment and Mai wondered what he was thinking.

"Tell us about the deaths." He ordered finally.

Yasu nodded. "The first was a zoo keeper. He must have been doing the night rounds alone, a safety violation," He added, glancing at Kurosawa. "Apparently, he fell into the hippo enclosure and was mauled to death by the animals before he could climb out."

Mai's hand flew to her mouth. "He was killed by hippos?"

She tried to imagine falling into that deep, brackish water, panicking, flailing for a ladder while a wild animal attacked you...

"Hippos are actually quite dangerous and extremely territorial. There was a male in the tank that night, so the behavior was not at all surprising." Kurosawa explained solemnly.

"Less than a year later, an intern was killed." Yasu pushed a photo of a smiling young woman to the center of the table. "She was a college student interning here. She was in charge of documenting the penguin breeding program. The enclosure door had some kind of malfunction, trapping her inside. The next day was Monday, the zoo's one day a week closed. By the time a keeper found her, she'd been trapped for nearly twenty hours. She never awoke from her coma and died a few hours later at the hospital."

"Hypothermia..." Ayako murmured.

Mai shuddered again. What she was hearing was hard to reconcile with the place she had just been laughingly exploring.

"The last death appeared to truly be an accident, not necessarily caused by safety violations." Yasu said.

"The investor's gala." Kurosawa said grimly. "It had been my one big chance to turn things around. We'd erected a huge tent on the front lawn. We brought in caterers and a band to wine and dine potential investors. But one woman wandered off. She'd had too much to drink and decided to go exploring. She actually ended up in the garden where I encountered you."

He looked at Mai. "The Gala was fancy dress. One of her heels caught in the crack between the paving stones. She stumbled and fell into the fountain. She hit her head on the way down. The coroner said she drowned before regaining consciousness."

Someone had died in that beautiful fountain?

How could one place be so whimsical and so horrible at one time?

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"You have your radio?" Naru asked again.

"Yes!" Mai laughed, holding it up for proof.

"Ayako and Bou-San are walking through also. Masako's still laying down, so Yasu will be at base if you need anything." He said, looking at her face.

"Naru, it's okay. You and Lin are the only ones with enough technical expertise to wire our cameras into the Zoo's systems. I'll be with John." She had never pictured him as a worrywort.

It was like seeing a whole new side of him.

"I know." Naru agreed in a way that made her think he didn't actually agree at all.

He reached out suddenly, brushing a loose strand of her hair behind her ear. She froze, eyes wide. Her eyes searched his.

His fingers trailed down her jaw, like a blind man reading secrets in her skin.

He leaned closer, or maybe she did. She could feel his breath on her lips, an indirect kiss...

"Mai! Are you ready?" John called from the other room, and the spell was broke as they sprang apart.

Blushing, she called out "Coming!"

She left quickly, afraid to look back.

Afraid she wouldn't be able to leave if she did.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"This place is much creepier at night." She admitted ruefully to John.

"It's certainly disconcerting." John admitted, shining his flashlight around.

Every once in a, one of the other groups or Yasu would come across the radio, startling her each time.

Then silence would fall again.

Even their footsteps seemed muffled.

"Is this...?" John's voice trailed off uncertainly.

"The hippo tank." Mai confirmed grimly.

Images of dark, bloody water swam in her mind.

"We don't have to go in. I'm sure Naru won't get mad..." John offered.

And that was a problem. The way he'd been acting, Naru probably wouldn't get mad. But it was her job to investigate things. She didn't get to cop out because she was scared.

She was a Ghost Hunter!

She swallowed. "It's fine. How can we prove this place isn't haunted if we don't check the haunted places?"

"If you say so." John agreed slowly.

She let him lead, following him carefully around the edge of the tank.

"What a horrible place to die." John murmured.

Mai paused, freezing in place. Slowly, she pivoted around, aging her light into the bushes circling the enclosure.

"Everything okay?" John asked, walking closer.

Mai shook her head. "I don't know, I thought I heard something behind us..." She trailed her flashlight along the way they had just come, but saw nothing.

Suddenly, beside her, John gasped.

Mai turned in fright. "John, are you-"

Too late, she realized what was happening.

She reached out, horrified, her fingers just barely brushing the cloth of John's shirt as he tumbled backwards, into the dark water behind them.

"John!" She screamed.

There was no response, however.

She didn't even hesitate.

She jumped in.


	31. Chapter 31

**A/N: Well kids, this chapter either stands on its own or falls. Let me know.**

 **Umm, maybe don't read this in class if you don't have a poker face...**

 **Not My Sandbox (but definitely my sandcastle...)**

 **Where The Light Enters**

 **"** **Surface Tension"**

 **"** **The woods are lovely, dark and deep. But I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep. And miles to go, before I sleep." - Robert Frost**

Too late, she realized she was still wearing her radio.

"John!" She called, splashing in the dark. She was afraid, in her panic, she had jumped too far out, overshooting where John had fallen. Down in the tank there was next to no light.

There was no response.

She jackknifed down, kicking with all her might.

A darkness so complete it seemed nearly alive.

How deep could this be? Ten feet? Twelve?

She reached out, splaying her fingers wide as she quested in the dark water.

Eyes and ears useless, even gravity seemed ambiguous underwater...

She couldn't remain much longer...

There!

Her fingers grabbed something...

John's shirt collar?

She was out of air and out of time, so she grasped him as best she could, kicking for the surface she couldn't even see.

She wished time would slow, but in truth, she felt every burning second.

With only her legs and one arm it was dangerously slow going. The urge to breath was so strong she was fighting back her own instinct to gasp.

 _And, oh, John was heavy..._

Up until the moment her head broke through, she truly thought they wouldn't make it.

She threw back her head, gasping in great lungfuls of air. Water streamed across her face, temporarily blinding her. Dim starlight was her only guide.

Was John even breathing?

Where was her flashlight?

 _What had happened?_

She was panicking, scared and overwhelmed. She struggled to keep both her and John afloat. The priest was little more than dead weight beside her.

' _Breathe, Mai_ ' Naru's voice echoed in her mind.

 **Naru**.

What would Naru do?

 _Get out. You can't help him from here..._

But that was a problem.

It was so dark she could barely see anything. Which way to the portion of the tank where the ground slanted up? Already her muscles were starting to shake with exertion. John's body kept shifting and she'd have to reposition him on his back.

"Help! Help!"

Just pick a direction.

She started off, thankful lifeguarding techniques had been taught as part of her high school's swim unit.

John was still motionless as she dragged him behind her, but she thought she could feel the rise and fall of his chest...

Her hand struck the wall and her heart sank.

It was slick and smooth, no purchase whatsoever.

Her feet couldn't touch, so she had swam the wrong way.

 _Find the ladder._

She began swimming along the tank edge. Eventually she had to either encounter the ladder or the rising floor...

Her leg cramped suddenly, contracting painfully. She swallowed a mouthful of the foul water before she managed to resurface again.

She had to find something quick, or they were going to be in trouble...

She was thankful both she and John were in shorts. She couldn't have handled even a few ounces of extra weight, at this point.

Her hand hit something metal.

She grasped the ladder, gasping in relief.

"Help!" She screamed again.

She stared up in despair. She could barely see the ladder against the wall, the skyline above the tanks edge noticeable only because the dark of the sky seemed somehow deeper.

The ladder went up nearly five feet, she remembered.

There was no way she could pull John up that...

At least now that she had an arm hooked around a ladder rung, she could see that he was, indeed breathing.

But he was floppy, like a doll. His head lolled back and forth, sometimes bumping into hers.

She'd have to wait here for the others to come after them.

Surely they would...

But how long would it take?

They hadn't checked in before they entered the hippo enclosure, so how long would it take for the others to think to check there?

She struggled to reposition John, thanking every god she'd ever learned the name of that he had such a slim build. She could never have held onto Bou-San like this.

The ladder stopped about a foot and a half below the water line, so she couldn't brace her legs. She settled for hooking one arm through, winding the other under John's armpits before using that hand to grasp the other side of the ladder.

It was incredibly awkward, and was quickly becoming painful. John's weight, even being lift by the water slightly, was putting a lot of strain on her wrist.

But she was too weak and shaky to swim any further.

Without the ladder, they would have already drowned.

She began to wait.

She leaned her forehead against the metal of the ladder rung.

At least the water was like warm.

But it smelled and felt foul.

She tried her radio just in case, but it didn't even crackle.

Drowned.

Her imagination, fueled by fear and adrenaline, began offering her visions of her swimming in a tank of blood, warm and viscous.

Now that she wasn't focusing on swimming, she could imagine things, like dark, monstrous, hungry things swimming just below her feet.

Each time John's feet would brush against hers, her fear would grow.

It was only eclipsed by the screaming pain in her wrist.

She was terrified her hand would cramp any moment now, releasing John unintentionally. She was shaking with fear and effort.

Her mind was flooded with images of the dead zookeeper, mauled body sinking slowly below the surface...

 _Waiting for them.._.

Her legs felt leaden.

"Help!" She called again, scared at how much _**weaker**_ she sounded now.

How long had it been since John had fallen in? It felt like a lifetime, but she knew it was probably only a matter of moments.

She tried to calm herself, forcing herself to slow her breathing.

Her wrist spasmed in pain, but she forced her wrist to lock, gripping the bar with everything she had left.

 _Just endure._

Something bumped her leg, and she whimpered again.

" _Don't let go-don't let go-don't let go-don't let g_ o-"

If she didn't hang on, John was going to die.

He'd simply slip away, lost in the dark and she would be let here, clinging to this damn ladder, knowing she let go of him-

Was this how Naru felt all the time? Every time the case turned dangerous and he had to live with the fact that he'd lead them there?

She screamed.

In anger and fear, with everything she had, she howled...

Her wrist screamed with her, her shoulder crying along as they took the brunt of John's weight.

In her fatigue, the water didn't feel so warm anymore.

Maybe that was why she was shaking so hard.

 _Don't let go..._

Her scream ended on a gasping whimper.

Please come soon.

 _Please_.

Don't let go.

Her hand had started to go numb.

That was kind of nice, actually..

Her world narrowed.

 _The ladder. John._ _ **Don't let go.**_

 _The ladder. Nothing's in the water with me._

 _John._ _ **Nothing's in the water with me.**_

 _Don't let go..._..

"Mai..."

"Mai... MAI! MAI!

Lights were dancing on the water, but she had gone somewhere in her head, a place that ignored pain and did nothing but hold on.

Something landed in the water beside her. She felt the splash on her face.

"Mai!" More than the sound, the word felt warm on the skin of her cheek.

She felt arms anchoring her to the ladder from either side.

Heat at her back.

She blinked, forcing herself to focus.

She knew this voice.

"Naru." She rasped. Her voice was hoarse from screaming.

A second splash sounded on John's other side.

"Mai, it's okay. I got him..." It was Bou-San, she knew that, and yet-

She panicked, fighting back-

 _Don't let go_!

"Shh. Shh. It's okay. You did it Mai. We got him." It was incredible, how soft he could make his voice sometimes.

She gasped. "Okay. Okay...okay." Her hand refused to open on its own, though, and Bou-San has to gently pry her hands loose while she gasped.

The pain was coming back.

"Her hand's in bad shape..." She heard Bou-San murmur.

The world seemed slightly more in focus with Naru's arms around her. She shifted, allowing Bou-San to take over John's weight.

"Lin's up top. Can you get him up there?" Naru was speaking now.

If they kept talking, they were going to wake the monsters...

"Yeah, you got her?" Bou-San replied worriedly.

"Yes." Naru's voice was sure.

Mai cradled her wrist against her chest tiredly. Naru wrapped his arm around her waist as he maneuvered them out of Bou-San's way.

Bou-San hefted John over one shoulder, an impressive feat she was too exhausted to admire.

Naru was supporting her weight now. She let him.

He held her close, and she thought perhaps he was speaking into her hair, but she couldn't be sure.

Perhaps he was humming...

A dark shape reached down from the ledge as Bou-San neared the top, helping him lever the man over the edge.

Naru brought them closer to the ladder.

"Do you need me to carry you?" He asked.

She blinked.

Did she?

"I can do it." She whispered.

She could do this.

This was just the home stretch...

Naru hooked an arm through the ladder.

"My knee is right here. Use it as the first step. I'm going to be right behind you."

And boy, did he mean it.

As she slowly clambered up, using her right wrist as little as possible, Naru was like her shadow, glued to her side. He was so close she wasn't sure how they weren't tripping over each other.

A shadow reached for her from above...

"Watch her arm!" Naru's voice held a thread of danger, and she realized she hadn't been the only one shaking this whole time.

She had scared him again...

"Sorry.." She muttered tiredly.

"Shh." How could his voice go from furious to soft?

The shadow hesitated before changed direction, hooking a strong arm under her left shoulder as it eased her over the top.

She slumped on her knees, panting from the climb.

There was more light here. Only a little bit, but it seemed like daybreak to her after the darkness of the tank.

John was lying on the ground motionless while Ayako moved like a dervish above him.

Mai was struck with a sudden fear that he was dead, had, in fact been dead the whole time and she'd simply been clinging to his body...

"John?" She choked out.

"He's breathing." Lin reassured her. "He just hasn't woken up."

Naru was rubbing his hands up and down her arms briskly.

Either she was cold and was too tired to realize it, or he needed to burn of some of the furious energy she felt radiating off him.

Or both.

"Mai, what happened?" Ayako asked, all business.

"I wasn't facing him. He made a sound, and when I turned around, he was already falling. He must have been...unconscious when he hit ... the water. He never tried to swim." It was hard to talk suddenly, as the relief and fear swamped her again.

"He just sank." She whispered.

Naru was holding her from behind, and she leaned against him, her only defense against gravity.

Lin and Bou-san were at Ayako's side, assisting as directed.

"How long was he down?" She asked briskly.

"I don't...know...?" She answered, tears begining to trickle down her cheeks.

"Ayako." Naru's voice was a warning. "She's in shock."

"Dammit!" The woman said in frustration. "I can't get him to-

Suddenly John's body twitched, and he groaned quietly.

A collective sigh rose up from the others.

"Mai?" John asked in confusion.

"She's here." Naru has to answer for her, because she was crying too hard.

"Let's get them back to base and figure out if they need the hospital." Lin said.

She stood unsteadily. Naru was once again her shadow. To his credit, he probably let her walk for nearly five minutes before her slow pace pushed him into scooping her up in his arms.

"I can do it." She protested weakly.

"I know you can." He agreed.

She understood. This wasn't for her. It was for him.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

 _There were things in the water._

 _Dead things with long, pale fingers and bloodless lips..._

 _They tickled the soles of her bare feet, caressing her toes, preparing to bite..._

 _They wanted her and John._

 _The dark was never ending and the water was blood, she was choking on it-_

She awoke with a gasp, sitting up in her fright.

Masako slept on beside her, her fingers entwined with Yasu's.

Mai breathed slowly, forcing herself to calm.

How strange to have her own nightmares for once.

John slept across from her. Ayako sat beside him, dozing against the wall. Bou-San's head was in her lap, and every once in a while, her fingers would twitch in his hair.

She didn't see Lin or Naru, but they were probably standing sentinel over the monitors.

She flexed her wrapped wrist tentatively, grimacing with pain. Ayako had warned her she'd strained it. She had wrapped it tightly and told her not to bear weight on it for at least two weeks.

They'd never figured out what had happened to John. He'd been confused and hadn't remembered anything after they had first entered the hippo enclosure.

The working theory was that he had been momentarily possessed.

Mai stood tentatively, testing her legs. She knew they had a bottle of aspirin in the kitchen area.

At least she was clean, though she'd been so shellshocked the night before that Masako had had to help her. She supposed she should be grateful the center had a shower room for employees in the back.

She imagined her hair must be a curling riot at this point, however. Maybe Ayako would braid it for her later...

She shambled into the kitchen, waking up slowly. Down the hall, she could see the lights from the monitors, but she didn't want to bother them.

She ran a glass of water, swallowing two aspirin. She'd had to brace the bottle against the counter edge with her hip just to get it open, and she could already tell this was going to be a pain.

She leaned against the counter, watching the sun rise.

How many sunrises did people sleep through, never knowing there were bottomless tanks of water in the world, infested with monsters...

"Mai!" She jumped, looking over her shoulder.

Naru stood in the doorway, an intense look on his face.

Why was he breathing hard...

"You weren't in your bed." He accused, his voice funny.

She blinked.

He must have thought he'd misplaced her again.

She turned back to the counter, picking up the bottle of aspirin.

Facing him, she said- "I just came to-

He kissed her.

She hadn't even sensed him crossing the room behind her.

She dropped the bottle in shock as his lips connected with hers.

How long had she waited for Oliver Davis to kiss her?

Three months?

Three years?

From the moment she'd been born?

They came together like tectonic plates colliding, the way a sudden storm rolled across the ocean.

She'd imagined it, daydreamed it, but nothing, nothing could have prepared her for the reality.

He bit her bottom lip softly and she moaned, a breathy sound he seemed to approve of, if his tightening grip on her waist indicated anything.

She'd wondered what kind of lover Naru would be. Tentative? Shy? Reticent? Cold, even?

His psychometry meant he didn't even care for touching people most days.

But she'd fail to take one thing into her considerations.

Naru always went after what he wanted.

Her lips parted on instinct, and he didn't hesitate, plundering her mouth with a focused determination that literally stole her breath.

He'd backed her into the counter as his hands roamed up her side, skimming the smooth expanse of her stomach where it was exposed by her pajama top.

They ended tangled in her hair, and when she pulled her head back, forced to by her need to breathe, he grasped a handful of it and pulled it down, angling her jaw up.

He was never content with just part of her...

Her own hand was running up his arms to clench in the fabric of his shirt as he trailed a row of kisses from her jaw down her exposed throat.

Her heart was hammering as she skimmed her hand across his chest, feeling the planes and ridges beneath the fabric she'd glimpsed at the pool.

She tangled her hand in his hair, something she'd wanted to do for far too long.

They were standing so close there was nothing but heat between them, but it didn't seemed to be enough for him. He pulled back suddenly, just long enough for this absence of his lips to disorient her before he hooked an arm under her ass, lifting her to sit on the counter.

At this new height, they were nearer to eye level, and she could see his eyes, swirling with passion and something a little darker.

Possession, but not the spiritual kind.

This was all about bodies.

He kissed her again, not asking permission but taking her mouth, his tongue dueling with hers. Her head would have hit the cabinets behind her, but his hand was tangled in her hand again. It cradled her skull, pulling her so close she thought perhaps they were just sharing the same breath back and forth.

She was drowning in him and she liked it.

A sudden noise from behind Naru brought them back to reality. They broke apart, but not far, as Naru glared over his shoulder, and Mai leaned her her forehead against his chest. She struggled to catch her breath.

"Did you need something." Naru's voice was cold but she could feel heat emanating from him.

She didn't dare look around him to see who had walked in on them.

Her face was burning.

Naru stood in a way that actually stopped them from seeing too much of her, but there was no way they didn't know it was her.

There was a telling lack of reply as the sound of footsteps faded.

"Who was it?" She mumbled into his shirt.

"No one who will say anything." He said brusquely, straightening.

Already, she could feel him pulling away from her, and she mourned the coldness while welcoming the clarity.

 _She'd just kissed Naru._

No. No, actually he'd just kissed her.

Pretty much senseless.

She looked up at him warily.

He was staring down at her wrapped wrist with something like...

Did she even know a word for his expression?

It scared her a little.

She liked it, too.

"For the rest of this case...you're on light duty." He said suddenly.

She paused, trying to adjust to his sudden shift. "Okay."

He turned suddenly, walking to the door.

At the last minute, he paused. "When we're not at base, stay next to me."

 _Stay next to me..._

She stared at him as he left, bringing a bewildered hand to her lips.


	32. Chapter 32

**A/N: So, funny story...**

 **I had no actual idea this little make out session was going to happen. It was not in the outline. Apparently, however, Mai and Naru had other ideas. Seriously. I tried to take it out twice. I kept telling myself that there was no way this would happen at this time and place. Apparently, my muse is weaker than their sex drive. But what the hell. I'm just the author...**

 **Not even kidding. This story is going to end up an extra chapter long JUST BECAUSE THEY KEEP MAKING OUT! I feel like Lin right now, chasing around two horny college kids while I try to get actual work done...**

 **Not My Sandbox. Apparently, I'm not even in charge of the castle today.**

 **Where The Light Enters**

 **Bloody Water**

 **"** **You are my blue crayon. The one I never have enough of. The one I use to color my sky." -A.R. Thrasher**

She should probably get off the counter before someone else came in...

She tiptoed back to the room where everyone else was sleeping. Lin and Naru were missing, so if it was one of the other members who had walked in on them, they were pretending to be asleep now.

Which suited her just fine.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"All the equipment?" She asked in consternation a few hours later as they walked through the park.

Naru nodded silently. He'd barely spoken to her since that morning, but neither had he let her out of his sight.

She wondered if perhaps even the great Oliver David got embarrassed sometimes?

They stopped at the next checkpoint.

"Are those..?" She whispered, kneeling next to Naru.

Their shoulders bumped, and she purposely let hers remain. He stilled for a moment, but he didn't pull away.

She smiled for a second before refocusing on the sight before them.

Like all the other cameras, this one had been knocked on its side, as if something had run into it.

But as a bonus, this one had the perpetrators muddy footprints dancing around it.

Well, paw prints.

"What kind of animal has prints like that?" She asked faintly.

"A rather large one." Naru said, absently.

She watched him study the scene before them.

"Care to share?" She nudged him gently.

"It's just speculation at this point." He said dismissively.

Apparently an epic make out session wasn't enough to make him into a "sharer".

She grinned again, shaking her head.

She stood, switching on her handheld camcorder. It still amused her that she was allowed to carry them. Especially since she'd already killed one radio on this case.

But all Naru had said was "They're insured."

They must have some outrageous insurance premiums, she thought to her self as she took a step back in order to get a wider angle. Through the camera, she watched Naru's intense expression as he studied their gear.

Her stomach filled with butterflies as she squashed down memories of that morning.

Something caught her eye a little way to the left of where they'd set up the camera. Walking over, she studied the bushes decorating the edge of one of the enclosures. They looked trampled...

"Don't wander off!" Naru's voice was low but intense. She pursed her lips, since she'd never actually left the area. He'd always been in her line of sight.

They'd be a few yards apart, _at best_.

Arching a brow, she raised her hand. "Want to hold hands then? You'll have to carry the camera, in that case..."

He stared at her flatly, unamused by her teasing.

She sighed. "What do you make of this?"

She gestured to the bushes.

He knelt again, and she admired the way the sun glinted on his dark locks.

"They were pulled up recently..." He said, running his hands through the disturbed earth.

Suddenly, Mai tilted her head.

"What's that noise?" She asked.

It sounded like a baby's rattle, or a little like dead leaves rasping in the wind.

Naru froze. "Don't move."

Her eyes widened, but she remained otherwise motionless.

She did her best to look around without turning her head, and from where she stood, she could see Naru doing the same.

Slowly, he retracted his hand from the base of the bush.

"Is that a snake?" She asked in growing horror.

He stood slowly, inch by painful inch. "I can't see it, but that's what it sounded like when I was visiting the States."

She closed her eyes, inhaling deeply. Snakes weren't quite as bad as spiders...

 _Nope_.

Actually, snakes were officially as bad as spiders.

She had just decided.

"Where is it?" She whispered.

"Maybe nowhere." He replied, and her eyes bugged out.

 _Oh, kami. Please no ghost snakes_.

She would never sleep again...

Naru backed away slowly, though he seemed slightly less wary. He backed into her calmly, holding out an arm to rest his palm against her ribcage as they gently collided.

She allowed him to back them up, feet moving in a strange kind of coordinated dance.

Once they were several yards away, they stopped.

"Do you see anything?" He asked.

"No." She whispered.

"Do you sense anything?" He said next.

She did not want to do this...

She forced her eyes closed, frowning in frustration.

She scowled. Masako was able to sense so much about this place she could barely walk around it, yet she herself could feel nothing.

"No." She admitted, disappointed in herself.

He glanced at her. Their eyes met, and she could feel heat radiating from where his hand still rested on her side.

The sound faded, but they kept staring at each other.

She licked her lips nervously, heart rate increasing.

"It appears to have left, whatever it was." He said lowly.

This was not the time for this...

His eyes sunk to her lips, and she felt something kindle, low in her stomach. She wasn't a silly little girl frantic over her first kiss. She had enough experience to understand what she wanted.

Yet it stunned her how just a look from him could stir things inside her other guys had...

Well, let's say they'd had to work significantly harder.

He shifted, turning to face her. The hand in her side was suddenly on her back, urging her closer.

This really wasn't the time for this...

 _Fuck it._

Maybe it was because of all the bad stuff that was always happening. Maybe she wanted to feel him anchoring her to this world, to this place.

To him.

She closed the space between them in a heartbeat. She trusted he'd let her know if he wanted her to stop.

She angled her chin up demandingly, bad hand splayed painfully against his chest, but the pain didn't even register.

He bent his head down, not exactly obedient, but certainly acquiescing to her silent demand, and she felt a small thrill of power dance through her.

However, though she might have initiated the contact, he quickly took control of the kiss.

His other hand was at her neck, his fingers splayed wide, thumb tracing the edge of her jaw.

He was stealing her breath again, or perhaps it was simply that he refused to let her have any air but his.

His lips were deceptive, soft when he got what he wanted, velvet steel when he decided he wanted more.

His hand at her back had run itself up, inside her t-shirt. His palm was hot against her skin, and as his thumb brushed the edge of her bra, she gasped, eyes flying open.

His hand didn't travel any further, but neither did it release her. She found herself trapped, drowning in an indigo ocean.

This was the worst time they could be doing something like this, but for a wild moment, she considered things.

Crazy irresponsible things.

Things like taking off her own shirt just to see how far he would take this.

Things like dropping the damn camera she was still holding, unbuttoning his shirt, and seeing how far _she_ would take this.

Their radio crackled suddenly as Lin tried to check in with them, but they both ignored it. They stood stock still, hip to hip, lips a bare inch apart as they silently dared each other to give in to what they really wanted.

 _This is insane_.

The sun was shining overhead, the sky the bluest blue she had ever seen.

His hand moved from her back to answer the radio. "We're good here. Just checking things. Give us a few minutes."

His other hand had never left the side of her face, his eyes never breaking contact with hers.

Surely Lin must have heard the huskiness in Naru's voice, must realize exactly what they were doing.

The radio went silent, and this time when he kissed her, it was _slow_.

Slow and painfully deliberate.

 _She felt branded_.

As is, for the rest of her life, people would take one look at her and know she had been thoroughly kissed by Oliver Davis.

He broke the kiss on his own time, and she shuddered against him, gasping.

What were they doing?

They were on a case, and yet she couldn't bring herself to care in the least.

They'd kissed for the first time just a few hours ago yet already she felt a powerful need for him. Like no amount of this would ever be enough.

And she knew, looking into eyes, that he felt the same.

Eventually they'd have to talk.

He pulled her close, arms like iron bars around her and she didn't want free.

"Next time, I'm not stopping." It wasn't a promise or a threat. It was said with the calm finality he used when stating facts.

 _Promise_?

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

She sat at the conference table while Ayako stood behind her, fussing with her hair.

"A tiger roar?" Naru said musingly.

"And a hawk's cry, I'm pretty sure." Yasu added, pushing his glasses back into place.

Masako and John were resting again, and Mai longingly thought of joining them.

"So, our equipment is being tossed around, we're hearing animals, and finding paw prints?" Bou-San summarized.

Lin shook his head. "I've never encountered anything like this before. I've never even heard of something like this."

Mai yawned, doing her best to hide it behind her good hand.

"Go lay down." Ayako urged. "You're still tired from yesterday."

Still, she hesitated. Her dreams were often useful, put always sleeping the day away on cases made her feel uncomfortable. Like she was taking advantage of the other's hard work.

"You're still pretty pale." Yasu agreed, and she could hear a touch of worry in his voice.

She glanced at Naru questioningly, and he nodded instantly.

It was such a drastic difference from when they were teens and her constant naps had irritated him.

She wandered down the short hall, stopping at the kitchen to take another Aspirin. A shadow in the corner of her eye had her turning.

"Kurosawa-San, you startled me..." She said, bumping back against the counter in her surprise.

"Apologies, Taniyama-San. I've just been doing some maintenance work around the park. I heard about last night. I'm so thankful you and Brown-San weren't seriously injured." Kurosawa replied.

For a moment, her mind was back in the water, her wrist throbbing in time to her pulse, and she shuddered, blinking.

"Uh, me to." She replied awkwardly.

She made her way around him quickly, shaking her head.

One minute she was back in the tank, the next she was in her Boss's arms.

This had the potential to get ugly if they weren't careful.

Problem was, she didn't feel like being careful.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

 _She tittered to herself as she walked, stumbling through the warm spring night._

 _Her last drink must have been far stronger than she'd intended. Alcohol didn't usually hit her like this..._

 _She blinked, looking around._

 _This must be the children's garden the Manager had spoken about._

 _Doing her best to walk upright, she made her way to the fountain in the center. A bright red flower blooming in one of the raised beds caught her eye._

 _"_ _Anthurium...the worlds...longest blooming flower." She read shakily from the sign in front of the plant._

 _She sniffed in distaste. "Well, it's ugly." She declared out loud to the stars, laughing at her own words._

 _Her head was really spinning now, her hands and legs tingling like they were falling asleep._

 _She managed a few more steps toward the fountain, losing her shoe in the process. She stopped, turning around in her confusion as she tried to maneuver her foot back instead her heel._

 _Suddenly, a dark shape was before her, and she was falling backwards._

 _The back of her knees hit the edge of the fountain, and she crumpled as she fell._

 _Her head screaming in pain, she opened her eyes in panic as water filled her mouth._

 _She tried to push herself out, but her hands weren't obeying her. All she could manage was a weak thrashing._

 _The fountain was lit from the inside, and as she looked upwards, she could see the night sky through the water._

 _As her vision grew dim, red curls danced in the water around her, tinting it pink._

 _Blood in the water..._

Mai awoke, gasping, to the sounds of Ayako's screams.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Ayako stood, stretching. "I'm exhausted. I'm going to lay down with the others for a bit." She announced.

As a Doctor, she had learned to grab naps when she could.

Houshou caught her hand as she walked past, giving her hand a squeeze.

She squeezed back, feeling warmth bloom in her chest the way it did anytime he looked at her anymore.

She walked down the hall, pausing when she thought she heard something.

The sound didn't repeat, however, so after a moment she continued into the room they were all sleeping in.

She checked Masako first, careful not to wake the sleeping girl.

She looked like she still had the mother of all migraines. Ayako frowned, wishing there was something she could give her for the pain.

Naru had nearly flipped his lid last night when she'd tried to give Mai something, however.

He'd given her a five minute lecture about the danger of medicating a psychic when they were in a haunted location. Nightmares they couldn't wake from, weakened control against spirits and more, apparently.

Though she hadn't cared for his tone, she had remembered how many nightmares Mai had while recuperating in the hospital after the train wreck. She'd chalked it up to a well earned touch of PTSD from the crash, but now she wondered.

She checked John next, who was sleeping peacefully. It still bother her that they had no idea what had happened last night. Mai had been too frantic to relay much, and she nearly lost a limb trying to question the girl while Naru was standing over her like a mother bear.

How Spirits even had the balls to screw with Mai with Naru around frankly confused the shit out of her. It was so obvious to everyone that if you messed with Mai, he was going to _screw_ _you_ _up_.

She chuckled as she remembered how the girl had relayed the story of their "card game."

Well, she didn't exactly disapprove of cheating if it got you what you wanted.

As she stared down at Mai where she tossed and turned on her sleeping bag, she just prayed their boss was ready for what it seemed like they were getting into.

Otherwise she'd have to kill him and make Houshou bury the body...

The girl shivered again, and Ayako pulled her blanket back over her before climbing onto her own bag.

How Mai could be cold when it was this warm in here she couldn't imagine...

She drifted off slowly, lulled my the heat and the stillness.

She was nearly asleep when she felt something on her leg. It was a gentle enough sensation, but the movement was disconcerting. Without thinking, her knocked her hand into it, thinking it must be a fly.

Her hand encountered something furry, however, and her eyes shot open instantly.

Sitting up, she looked down at her leg and screamed.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Ayako's screamed echoed down the hall, knifing through Noll. His hand clenched so hard the pencil he was holding snapped in two.

She had gone to the sleeping room.

 _Where Mai was_.

He flew after Bou-San, nearly pushing the man out of his way.

He could feel his power crackling under his skin, reacting to his panic and fear.

It worried him, his control hadn't been this bad since he was a child.

The men ran into the room. The sleepers were all looking around in confused fright, except for Ayako, who was beating at her leg frantically.

"Get it off, get it off!" She screamed.

Bou-San wasted no time hoisting her up, sweeping his hand down her leg, dislodging something dark the size of his palm.

The tarantula landed in the center of the room, and he heard Mai gasp.

He knew she hated spiders, and the uneven set of her breathing combined with her pallor made him suspect she'd been in the middle of a vision when she'd been awoken.

He knew first hand how disorienting it could be when the terror of a vision bled over to an unexpected situation in real life.

Mai was gasping, clutching her throat like she was about to hyperventilate.

"Lin!" He called as he walked quickly over to Mai, scooping her up and carrying her out of the room.

He heard the other man move forward, trusting him to handle their...guest.

The others quickly followed Noll, Ayako crying in her own particular, angry way as Bou-San tried to calm her.

Masako was being half carried by Yasu herself, and he accepted that he was probably going to send her home. She couldn't work under this constant onslaught.

The girl in his arms shuddered again, but he could feel her breathing begin to smooth out.

Perhaps he should send her home also. Or at least to a hotel. But he knew once she'd been to a location and connected with it, that even sending her off location wouldn't be enough to guarantee that the dreams would stop.

She was obviously exhausted, though.

He shifted, pulling her closer. She might have been calming down, but he could still feel his own power thrumming angrily.

It had sensed a threat, and was unhappy being locked away again.

"She was awake." Mai mumbled against his chest.

He sat at the conference room table, not bothering to put her down. The others trickled in behind them but he ignored them for the moment.

Yasu would let him know if Masako worsened, and Bou-San would chew his own arm off for Ayako if she needed him too.

Lin was probably cursing him in Chinese as he chased the spider throughout their sleeping quarters so he focused on the girl in his arms.

She wasn't quite as pale as she had been a moment ago. She had remembered how to breathe, it seemed.

But she was crying, big silent tears rolling down her face. He could feel the occasional tremor rack her frame, and he wondered for a moment, if doing this work was destroying her.

She took a breath, staring at him. "The investor's wife. When she drowned. She wasn't unconscious. She couldn't move, but she was awake..."

He knew those were the worst. Experiencing what the victim experienced, when the victim was aware enough to be scared.

When they knew they were dying.

Where had Gene been?

"But it was weird." Mai said. "It didn't feel like..."

She paused and he waited while she collected herself. Absently, he brushed a lock of her hair behind her ear.

Something behind her caught his attention and he stilled.

The window behind her had shattered, cracking into dozens of small segments though the glass itself was still intact inside the frame.

He knew it hadn't been like that earlier.

"It was like watching a movie. I didn't feel her...energy or spirit or anything behind it."

Mai was talking again, trying earnestly to explain herself to him, but his attention was caught by the shattered window as dread pooled in his stomach.

"I think it was just a memory of this place, not a spirit." Mai finished.

He looked at her, the sunlight lighting her from behind, the broken window casting a shattered shadow over her that only he could see.

He'd lost control.


	33. Chapter 33

A/N: There will be Naru's point of view of the end of the case in the next chapter!

Reviews are love!

Where The Light Enters

"The Most Dangerous Animal"

"No one ever told me grief felt so much like fear." - CS Lewis

Mai frowned at her phone. Masako still wasn't answering. Yasu had put her in a cab the night before, but now she couldn't get a hold of her.

She hoped the younger girl was just sleeping it off. Yasu had wanted to go with her, but she'd insisted he stay behind.

Still, it made her uneasy...

She turned back to the others, shrugging. "No answer."

Yasu frowned, glaring down at his own phone as is it had somehow betrayed him.

"She's probably still sleeping." Ayako soothed. "She was in a great deal of discomfort."

Ayako herself looked quite a bit worse for the wear. Mai knew for a fact she'd spent the night sitting up making additional protective charms for the base. Bou-San had finally given up on getting her to sleep around two or so.

"Let's take it from the top." Naru said, a furrow in his brow. She could tell this case was frustrating him.

He was antsy, pacing the room like a caged lion, unlike his usual calm self. She could tell that Lin had picked up on it also, as he would occasionally glance at the younger man in concern.

"We were brought in with the hopes of disproving rumors of the zoo being cursed. The rumors began after a series of accidents took place here." Mai began, hoping to be helpful. Her unease had settled like a shawl around her shoulders, making her twitchy.

"Two of the three deaths could be directly related to safety violations. Though not completely causative of the accidents, the violations played an obvious role. The last death appeared to be accidental." Yasu took his turn.

"On our first night walk through, Mai and I were attacked at the hippo enclosure, the scene of the first of the original deaths." John added thoughtfully.

Mai closed her eyes, trying to focus on her teammates words.

What were they missing?

"No obvious signs of injury could be found, but John lost consciousness. Mai didn't, and furthermore, nothing attacked her in the tank itself." Ayako added with a frown.

"Masako senses numerous spirits of mistreated animals, however, the rest of us do not, and we haven't felt the presence of any human spirits." Bou-San mused, tapping his finger against the table.

For some reason, the quiet sound made Mai want to scream, and she wondered if she was starting to pick up on Naru's tension.

"Our equipment has repeatedly moved or been destroyed. At the scenes, we have found muddy paw prints of various animals. However, no other known case of animal spirits has ever presented like this that I know of, Madoka either." Lin said solemnly.

"Mai had a dream which to her indicated that the third accidental death was actually caused by something pushing the woman into the fountain. She does not, however, believe the woman's spirit is actually lingering." Naru took over, steepling his fingers.

"And I was attacked by a spider." Ayako muttered, shuddering.

"Animals noises are being heard all over the park, but no animals have been seen except the spider." Yasu pointed out.

Where has the spider come from?

Lin had said the species wasn't native to Japan.

Had it somehow been left behind when the over animals were moved?

Had it just been a freak accident?

Mai bit her lip. Turning to Lin, she asked "Could this actually be some sort of curse? Like at Yasu's school? Something designed to upset the animal spirits?

"Designed?" Naru asked sharply. "The rumors always indicated the curse evolved naturally, the results of the deaths and general misfortune. What makes you think someone is causing this?"

The look in his eyes was surprised, but not shocked. She wondered if his thoughts had been along the same lines.

She shrugged. "It just seems like the most extreme ghost activity we've ever encountered has always had a living person as a trigger. Though this has been going for several years. The person who started it could be dead now. Assuming...you know, I'm right..." She trailed off awkwardly.

She was a little uncomfortable at the center of everyone's attention. Other than Yasu, she'd been the newest team member to learn about the supernatural. It was one thing to relay her dreams, but she usually left the theories to Naru and the others.

But this seemed strange.

Naru shook his head a little, smiling humorlessly. "You're thinking clearer than I am, it seems."

"But who would go to all this trouble? Someone on the board? There is no point. A short sale won't bring big revenue." Ayako growled in frustration.

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

Kurosawa stood there, a cell phone in his hand. "I'm sorry to interrupt. I found this in the garden..."

Everyone froze.

"That's Masako's!" Yasu declared, snatching it out of Kurosawa's hand. He flipped it open, pushing a few buttons at random.

"It's dead." He added.

"Perhaps she left it yesterday when she left?" Lin suggested.

Mai shook her head, panic curling in her stomach. "She never went to the garden."

She'd barely been able to leave her sleeping bag.

Her mind was flashing back to that horrible day a little less than a year ago, when the coroner had kidnapped Masako.

She couldn't explain why her mind went there immediately, but it felt true nonetheless.

Something had Masako...

"Plus, I saw it in her hand when she got in the taxi last night. I saw her." Yasu stressed, running a hand through her hair.

Ayako was shaking her head. "Does she keep two phones? One for work and one for personal, perhaps?"

"No." Mai mumbled through stiff lips. "Her manager fields the work calls."

She was beginning to shake as dread and foreboding filled her.

Naru was watching her intently. Something in her expression must have convinced him.

"She must have returned. Did anyone ever see her back at base?" He demanded, looking around at the other team members.

They all shook their heads.

He turned to Kurosawa. "How long ago did you find this?"

Mai's shaking intensified.

"Maybe half an hour ago..." The man replied.

We're wasting time...

She didn't know how she knew that, only that it was true.

This is why she'd been so set on talking to her friend this morning.

She realized she must have said it out loud when Yasu's eyes shot to hers.

"Mai. You can astral travel to her!" He said, coming towards her with Masako's phone still clutched in his hand.

She nodded jerkily, standing. Backing up from the table enough that she could lay down, she stretched out on the floor. She could feel Yasu's agitation coming off him in waves, however, and it only increased her own sense of panic...

Naru was there, suddenly, pulling him back. They glared at each other for a moment before Yasu took a breath, closing his eyes.

"Sorry. Sorry, you got this boss?" Her best friend looked shattered.

"The idea is fine. We just need to be calm. Mai won't be able to see anything if your anxiety is bleeding through." Naru said, urging Yasu away from Mai's side. Naru took Yasu's place at her side, the heat of his leg creeping into her own.

Mai was pretty sure she already had enough of her own anxiety, but she had to admit she felt better with Naru there.

"Ready?" He asked her softly, and she realized, looking into his eyes, that it really mattered to him what her answer was.

If she said no, he'd find some other way.

She knew suddenly, with complete certainty, that if she said to him "I'm don't want to.", he'd fine some other way, even if it meant tearing out every bush and stone in the park with his own bare hands.

But they didn't have time for that.

And she'd sensed the way his own power had been straining at the leash this whole case. It was like a hurricane on a leash, a field of electricity strong enough to raise the hair on her arms whenever she stood next to him. She wasn't sure he could control his psychometry like that.

Oddly enough, the only time she hadn't felt his power surfing had been...

Well, when they were kissing.

Somehow the two of them together were the eye of the storm.

"I'm ready." She said, pushing all unnecessary thoughts out of her mind.

She began to breathe deeply as Naru's voice lead her down the rabbit hole.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Gene stood on the bridge in the center of the park, rubbing at his temples. He looked strained, pale and wan, just as Masako had.

Too late, she remembered that Gene had been a perfect medium, even stronger than Masako.

"I'm Sorry. It's just too loud here." He apologized. "I can't sense her."

She could barely make out his words, because for the first time, Mai could hear it also.

An insane cacophony of noise, howls and roars and screeches and chirps.

Angry, afraid.

The park reverberated with the pulse of their anguish. It beat against her temples, thrashed against her mind.

It was everything and everywhere...

Mai shot up quickly, heart pounding. She realized she'd pressed her hands to her ears on instinct.

"I...I can't..." She gasped.

Naru was gripping her shoulders in concern so hard she'd probably have bruises later.

How the hell had Masako dealt with that for as long as she had? Mai would have gone insane.

"Why would she come back?" She whispered.

What could have enticed Masako to return to a place like this?

Naru looked at the others grimly. "Looks like we're going to have to do this the hard way."

"We should call the cops." Yasu shot back.

"And tell them what? We can't even prove she returned. She's an adult and we don't even know how long she's been missing." Ayako argued.

"Plus, we run the risk of the police unknowingly escalating a bad situation if it is a ghost or a curse." John pointed out gently.

Mai met his eyes for a moment before looking away.

They knew first hand that the authorities weren't always the best to handle supernatural situations.

"John's right. We need to start searching now." Mai pushed herself unsteadily to her feet. Her head was still pounding. Black sparkles danced in front of her eyes for a moment.

"You're not going anywhere." Naru declared, forcing her into a chair. "You can barely stand."

"She's my best friend. I'm not just going to sit around!" Mai retorted hotly.

She could feel their time running out...

"Mai!" Naru's voice was so sharp, the windows seemed to rattle in the panes.

Everyone froze.

Mai stared at him in shock.

Naru closed his eyes, breathing deeply, obviously trying to calm himself.

"Please."

She caught her breath, because only he could put so much weight behind that word.

Please stay in the base where the protective charms are.

Please stay out of danger for once.

Please stay safe so I can focus on finding Masako.

"Okay." She said, hating herself a little for capitulating, yet agreeing nonetheless.

"I'll man the radios. I'll coordinate the search from here." It wasn't half as much as she wanted to do, but Naru's expression somehow made it worth it.

The relief that flew across his face for one split second suddenly made her wonder just how often her safety kept him up at night.

"I'll help search." Kurosawa added, surprising her with his presence.

She'd been so caught up in everything she'd forgotten the outsider was present.

Naru nodded. "That would be of great help. Let's divide into teams. Search every pen, every enclosure. Every door gets opened!"

The others quickly split up, John with Yasu, Ayako with Bou-San, and Lin with Naru.

Mai handed each team a radio, flipping on the central unit they used to manage the communal channel.

Fortunately, she'd seen Lin operate it enough to make do.

"We're starting at the Hippo Enclosure." Naru's voice came over the radio, already sounding far away as she settled into the chair at the desk.

She shuddered as his words brought back unpleasant memories.

"We're going to start at the garden and work out way south." Ayako replied.

"We'll take the north side and work back to Mai." John replied.

Mai began to wait.

And wait.

Her anxiety was skyrocketing, climbing higher with each update.

"She's not in the garden, heading west..."

"The reptile house is clear!"

"The aviary is empty!"

"No sign of her in the big cat pens!"

Where could she be?

A chilling thought struck her suddenly.

"Oh, kami..."

"The penguin house!" She yelled across the communal channel.

Why hadn't they thought of it sooner?

"We're on our way!" Yasu replied grimly, his frantic fear evident even over the coms.

Mai stood, too tense to sit as she waited anxiously for word.

She was shaking with terrified certainty.

"Ayako! We need you!" Yasu's voice was panicked and Mai's legs gave out as she collapsed back into her seat.

"Please-please-please..." She prayed, closing her eyes.

"On our way! How bad is it?" Ayako replied.

"She's breathing but she's freezing. Her lips our blue.." Yasu's anguish was clear, and Mai's hand flew to her mouth as she stifled a sob.

"I'm coming!" Ayako reassured him.

Thank goodness for Ayako..

"Her eyes are opening." Yasu said, his relief evident.

Mai felt her pulse begin to calm a little.

But still...

"Naru, we have another problem!" It was John this time, and Mai's breath caught in her throat.

Another problem? Were they under attack?

"This door was propped closed with some kind of steel bar." John explained grimly.

Mai sat there in confusion.

That didn't make any sense.

Spirits didn't need to prop something closed.

Her mind flashed back, to her very first case.

Naru has stood there, a nail in his hand.

It had seemed so innocent looking, but it had altered the course of their whole investigation...

"Mai!" Naru's voice was dead serious, and she stared at the radio in growing fear.

"I need you to lock the door to the room where you are, right now..."

Spirits didn't prop things shut...

"Mai?"

People did.

"Mai?"

She backed away from the radio slowly, staring at the man in the doorway warily.

"You know..." He said conversationally. "You always play with your necklace when you're nervous."

She lunged for the door, but he was fast for a man his size.

He easily tossed her into the doorframe, and her shoulder sung with pain.

She screamed, trying again to dodge around him, but this time he caught her by her bad wrist. The pain was enough to have her see spots again, and Kurosawa took advantage of her confusion to slam something into her temple.

The world went dark.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Hideo Kurosawa was born out of wed lock to a biologist who had once studied at the zoo. She died when he was in high school. After her death, he finally learned the identity of his father. He set forth to find the man he'd always dreamed of meeting.

Dreams aren't always happy, however.

Hideo would soon learn that though his biological father was passionate about animals, and above all, his pet project, the zoo, he cared little for people.

Okita-San already been suffering from early onset Alzheimer's when Hideo came into the scene. With periods of lucidity interspersed with confusion, it was easy for the the man to swing from one emotional extreme to the other.

Hideo hadn't cared about his father's ailing health though, instead pouring his heart and soul into protecting his father's dream. He was certain that this path would lead to the respect and love he craved from Okita-San.

Years of hard work soon payed off, and the zoo was viewed as one of the premier zoological parks in Japan.

It would be in vain, however.

Shortly before his father's death, Hideo revealed his identity to Okita-San. However, his father rejected him soundly.

Hideo would later discover that his father had been aware that he had a child out in the world somewhere.

He simply hadn't cared.

A legal agreement and a moderate monetary settlement bestowed upon his mother years ago had legally cleared Hideo's father from any additional responsibility towards his son.

The man praised as an employee was rejected as a son.

At the reading of his father's will, a further shock would occur.

His father had left the entirety of his fortune to a trust tasked with the management of the zoo.

Something inside Hideo snapped.

Years of working earnestly to protect something his father had cherished more than him twisted something inside him.

No one else knew of his true identity, and from that moment on, Hideo made it his mission to slowly sabotage his father's dream.

Animals would die, from neglect, lack of medical care, even a lack of water and food.

World renowned breeding programs were shuttered.

Maintenance became lacking all over the park.

Soon, deaths began to occur.

Some more accidental than others.

Finally, the park closed, and Hideo's plan for revenge seemed complete.

But then the board suddenly notified him of an upcoming meeting.

The fate of the zoo was at stake.

Hideo began to plot.

As the only remaining employee, he was limited in why he could do to further destroy the zoo's reputation.

The SPR team was hired by the "concerned" manager, when in reality, they had been lured there as fodder for Hideo's revenge.

After all, to create a horror story, one needs victims.

Days afterward, she would finally read the copy of the police report Bou-San had somehow acquired for her. Combined with SPR's extensive internal files, the picture began to emerge.

They had been looking so hard for ghosts they had overlooked the monster in their midst.

She hadn't wanted to know the details, yet she had needed to understand.

Understand the order of events that had somehow managed to upend her whole world.

During the investigation, the police would find various pieces of recording instruments with animal noises on the tapes.

They had once been used as educational materials, as had the molds shaped like different animal paw prints.

They would discover a tranquilizer gun once used to subdue unruly animals. One dart would be missing.

Blood work on Father John would show traces of the same medication.

Taped statements from Masako Hara detailing the strange text she'd received the night of her kidnapping, requesting her to return to the zoo would be filed as evidence next to photos of the bruised and bloodied Mai Taniyama.

It was an elaborate plot, with more questions than answers, but enough was clear to lock Hideo Kurosawa up on the separate charges of attempted murder.

In the end, no one could say for sure how the fountain in the children's garden or other sections of the park came to be destroyed.

Or would, anyway.

Or why someone as bright and capable as Hideo Kurosawa has become so entangled in revenge that he'd finally turned to attempted murder for the sake of destroying his father's dream.

Mai couldn't say either.

Perhaps some people were just born a little closer to the darkness.

Perhaps they liked it.

Perhaps, to them, the hatred came to feel like home.

But that was the day everything began to change


	34. Chapter 34

**A/N: Sorry If formatting is coming across crappy. FFNET is not playing nice. I wasn't sure I would even get the last chapter up. So this one is a shorter one, to see if that helps the platform not crash.**

 **In other news, you guys ARE AWESOME! This story currently has 266 reviews and counting as of this note. In just six more reviews, this will become my second most reviewed story ever. If, by some crazy measure we hit 370 by the end, it will become my most reviewed story ever.**

 **Now, this is actually a big deal because I used to write for Supernatural, and that is a crazy, super huge fandom with ongoing seasons. So the tiny little GH fandom is seriously going strong here. Kudos to all of you, because you've made writing this story A LOT of fun!**

 **Lastly, I love this case. I have been dying to write it. But from the moment I started the last chapter it has been like pulling teeth. No idea why. Perhaps because I've been looking forward to it? Anyway, crazy s* is about to go down. Remember your seat belts.**

 **Where The Light Enters**

 **"The Shape of Absence"**

 **"I hold a beast, an angel and a madman within me." - Dylan Thomas**

Noll ran into the command room, Lin and Bou-San behind him.

Bou-San must have have left John with the others...

He pulled up short at the doorway, the wreckage in front of him stealing his breath.

Mai was gone, her chair over turned.

Papers lay strewn about the room.

The radio was on its side.

But most of all, _Mai was gone_ and all he could feel in that moment was the overwhelming shape of her absence.

A fury he'd never experienced before swept over him.

She'd gone missing before.

She'd been injured before.

But never before had he felt like something had taken her from him.

"Noll!" Lin's voice was sharp as he pointed to the doorframe.

Bou-San inhaled sharply

"Is that blood?" Fear for Mai was evident in the Monk's voice, but all Naru could feel was the overwhelming fury coursing through him.

He reached out without hesitation, placing his fingers against the bloody wood.

Images flew through his mind, clear as they'd ever been.

He didn't need his brother as a conduit to see Mai, her vain struggle against the larger man, her fear, the impact against her head-

His lips pulled back in a feral snarl.

"Kurosawa has her." Each word dropped from his lips like a stone into deep, fathomless well.

"Where did they go?" Bou-San asked, panicked.

Noll hadn't seen them leave, he'd seen only what Mai had seen.

But his mind was working a breakneck speed, with a diamond sharp clarity. It was like he could feel the actual revolution of the earth, sense the firing of his own neurons.

"The Children's Garden." He said, already running down the hall.

It all made a twisted sense now.

Kurosawa was reenacting the previous deaths.

He'd been a distracted fool.

Only now, when it was potentially too late did the pieces fall into place.

As he made his way through the halls, he saw the window panes crack and splinter as he passed but he didn't care.

His power wanted the exact same thing as he did, after all.

 _It wanted Mai back_.

It wanted to punish whoever had dared to touch something of his.

He felt monstrous, and the only thing that frightened him was how honest it felt.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Mai came to with a jerk as Kurosawa dragged her through the garden.

Blood was running down her face from a cut on her head, making her eyes sting.

The sun was shining down, the beautiful day a powerful counterpoint to the terror pulsing through her veins.

She knew only one thing for certain.

 _This man wanted her dead._

He was talking to himself, muttering, laughing as she began to struggle back.

She caught words like 'father' and 'ruin', but she had little effort to spare listening to ranting.

He was obviously insane, a true deep insanity.

She saw the fountain ahead of them and renewed her struggle with all the strength she had.

He was going to drown her in that fountain if she didn't get free.

A scream tore out of her throat, but Kurosawa never hesitated, beyond caring about things like getting caught.

Her head was swimming, her bad wrist screamed as she beat at his arm around her throat.

She'd lost a shoe somewhere and her bare heel scraped along the stones as she fought for purchase.

He never slowed however, and she felt pain bloom in her hip as he dragged her first into, then over the wall of the fountain.

The water was shockingly cold as he pushed her head under the water, hands locked around her throat.

She beat at his arms, digging her nails into his skin but it was like he never even felt it.

She thrashed to no avail, and as her air ran out, her vision began to sparkle and blur.

Red threads of blood danced in the water, turned luminous by the sun streaming down.

 _Bloody Water..._

 _I dreamt this..._

Suddenly the hands around her throat were gone, dislodged in a heartbeat as something dark and sleek shot over her head, blocking the sunlight.

Someone grasped her from behind, pulling her up.

She coughed, gasping painfully as she tried to remember how to breathe air and not water...

"Mai!" It was Bou-San who had her. He dragged her frantically out of the fountain, where they collapsed onto the path.

What was that?

The screaming rage inside her head? She could literally feel the electricity crackling in the air.

She looked around wildly, wet hair flying about her face.

Her eyes widened in shock.

Naru was on top of Kurosawa, beating him savagely. His movements were smooth and sure, violent poetry in motion.

The older man was already crumpled on the sidewalk, but Naru showed no signs of letting up.

Lin was attempting to wrestle him off the other man, but his desperation appeared to be no match for Naru's fury.

He's going to kill him...

"Bou-San..." She whispered, trying to keep everything in focus.

Thankfully, he understood what she was asking.

He stood up, lunging over to help Lin stop Naru.

As Mai watched, shaking in the sudden cold, they finally managed to wrestle him off the manager. He fought against their hold mindlessly, like an animal.

A huge crack rent the air, like thunder but closer, and the fountain suddenly split, pieces of tile and concrete flying everywhere.

No water rushed out, however, and through one of the cracks, Mai could see that the water inside was frozen solid.

Naru suddenly went limp in Lin and Bou-San's arms, and Mai felt her world lose shape again as she lost the battle against unconsciousness.


	35. Chapter 35

**A/N: Longer note at the end.**

 **Where The Light Enters**

" **Tangible** "

Pain is a tangible thing.

At first it seems invisible, intangible.

Insidious, even.

After all, something that can devastate one person can faze the next one not at all.

But bruises fade, cuts heal.

Yet the pain can still remain.

For some it is a quiet companion. For others it is a mountain they either carry or climb.

But in all her life, Mai thought that mainly, pain was simply the shape of absence.

The absence of a pulled tooth, no matter how rotten, still hurts.

The absence of your father at your wedding day.

The place where something precious should be and wasn't.

The absence of the person your had accepted as your own, personal forever.

That was a big one.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0–0-0-0

Mai blinked awake slowly. Light filtered through the hotel's room's drapes, falling softly across the bed and the boy beside her in it.

She swallowed, mouth suddenly dry.

Between half the team being in the hospital, dealing with the police and dodging the press, she'd barely spoken two words to him since her attack.

At first he'd been unconscious. Then, Lin had pleaded with her not to risk upsetting him.

She'd only been released the day before. Naru was supposed to have stayed another night, so how was he here?

"Naru?" She said softly, staring up at him.

There was a stillness about him.

He looked tired, and the book he stared at unseeingly was grasped in hands bruised and scabbed. He'd beaten Kurosawa so badly he'd had a hairline fracture in one hand.

If Kurosawa hadn't been in the process of trying to murder Mai, Naru himself might be in jail at this moment. As it was, she suspected a number of people on the team had called in favors.

"I was worried about nightmares." He said tonelessly, and she frowned, sitting up slowly.

There was a sinking feeling in her stomach.

"There were no real ghosts on this case." She said softly, staring at him, willing him to meet her eyes, but he stared stubbornly down at his book.

There was a weighted pause.

"I wasn't talking about you." He said lowly.

Her breath caught, because there was pain and regret in his voice.

And those were the worst kind, she knew. Of all the nightmares she'd ever had, the ones where she lost someone she loved were the worst.

But more than that... there was an edge of something in his voice...

 _Something she didn't want to hear._

She leaned forward suddenly, sure that if she could just touch her lips to his this frightened spiraling in her chest would go away.

His hand caught her shoulder, stopping her just inches away.

"I nearly killed a man." The words dripped with self loathing. "I nearly got you and Masako killed. I lost control of my powers and nearly died."

She stared at him, already knowing what he was going to say.

But damn it, she wasn't going to make it easier on him.

"We can't do this." The finality in his voice made something in her want to scream.

"How dare you." Her voice was shaking with anger. "You started this. You started all this. You came after me. You always come after me. You kissed me!"

"I know." He answered.

She wanted to shake him until his calm demeanor fractured, the way she was fracturing right in front of him.

So she said it.

"You love me."

And she finally accepted that he did. It wasn't about his brother. It wasn't about their abilities.

It was just about them.

"I know." His face was blank, his eyes unreadable as he finally met hers.

Mai felt as if she'd been punched in the stomach.

How do you do that?

How do you walk away from someone you love?

"Then why?" She whispered.

"Because you're all I can think about, and I can't live like that. I can't take those kinds of risks. I can't afford to lose control. People could die, Mai. People nearly did die. I want you too much. I'd die for you, and that's fine. But I nearly killed for you. Not because I chose to, but because I _lost control_. You make me lose control." The words poured out of him like poison.

"You're just scared." She said, shaking her head.

It was okay, she was scared too...

"And then next time?" His words were bullets, designed to hurt. "If I flip over a car, or fracture a gas line? If I kill someone's child?"

She caught her breath, shaking her head as tears fell down her cheeks. "You won't."

She knew he wouldn't. He just needed time...

"I nearly set my own mother on fire twice, Mai. I nearly electrocuted Gene when we were younger. My control is the only thing that that stops my powers from destroying everything around me."

He looked at her, his eyes shuttered.

"Because there is a monster inside of me. A monster I've fought my whole life to control." For the barest second, she thought she saw grief in his eyes.

"And you're the thing the monster loves the most."

He meant it. The whole time he'd been lying in his hospital bed, while she'd been thinking of being with him, he'd been planning this moment.

"People like me can't afford to fall in love."

She could see his absolute conviction.

He truly believed loving her would destroy him.

Worse, that she would make him destroy others.

And she could see his pain.

He didn't want this. But he'd decided, somewhere between "please" and "we can't do this", that this was the only alternative.

And she understood just what was at stake.

Lin had warned her over and over again.

Naru had the power of a god, carried on the shoulders of a twenty-two year old boy.

He had a right to be terrified. He had a right to question and fear and doubt.

And maybe he was right.

Maybe they were simply too dangerous.

Her shaking stopped.

But he'd never had the right to decide all this himself.

"Get out." Her voice sounded strange even to her own ears.

Something in it must have alarmed him also, because he looked at her closer.

"Mai-"

" **Get. Out**."

Oh.

That was _power_ she was hearing. She'd never heard her own power trickle through her voice before.

Despite all his fears, she thought perhaps she was the monster.

Because she wanted to slam and scream and break things.

"I love you." She didn't say it because he deserved to hear it. She said it because she deserved to say it.

He watched her for a moment before he stood gracefully, walking towards the door.

"You know..." She said conversationally.

He paused.

As if they were discussing the weather. As if they were talking about sports.

As if hadn't just plunged his fist into her chest, leaving nothing but a gaping hole to mark his passing.

"That thing you call a monster? Most people just call it a heart. I don't make you monstrous. I make you human."

He looked over his shoulder at her, just for a moment.

She swore she could hear it, the exact moment her heart broke into a million unrecognizable pieces.

"I don't get to be human."

Watching him go, she thought perhaps she could hear his heart break too.

 **A/N: Cue the hate mail! Fear not, we have one last case to go! I know how frustrating it is, but every time I tried to think about Naru, and what he would do...**

 **Guys, I think he would panic. I think he would pull back. His control literally keeps his life together, and anyone, even Mai having that much power over him, I genuinely believe would end like this. Plus, he's only twenty one. He's new to love. He sucks at emotions. And he's literally a psychic nuclear bomb.**

 **So yes. That just happened.**

 **But on the plus side...**

 **Now they're fighting. And it occurred to me that since this whole story has been about character development as opposed to ghosts, that I have yet to write one truly, drag out knock down creep as f* case.**

 **Since I literally grew up reading Stephen King, that simply won't do.**

 **Plus, Mai has a little baggage of her own to hash out.**

 **She's been so set on taking care of everyone else around her.**

 **So I asked myself, what would be so bad it could pull these two back together, finally get Mai to talk about her own back story, and let all my favorite SPR characters get to kick some ass before the story concludes?**

 **I mean, at this point, it would probably take an army.**

 **An army of ghosts...**

 **A whole army of creepy dead children ghosts...**

 ** _Hehehehehehe_**...


	36. Chapter 36

**A/N So this goes out to all my readers! I am...sitting in the bathtub of my guest bathroom, on a pile of old blankets, being crawled over by two 11 week old kittens. They needed extra socialization before they could be adopted. So my whole family, bf, son and myself, have been taking turns sitting in the bathroom with these kittens trying to get them up to speed with their friendlier siblings.**

 **I am literally writing this chapter for you guys on a cracked iPhone in the bathroom from under a pile of kittens.**

 **If you've ever considered writing but had too many reasons why you don't have the time/equipment/whatever...**

 **You** r **excuses are officially invalid.**

 **In-va-lid!**

 **Go write People!**

 **This fandom is tiny but mighty!**

 **Ps, this chapter's title comes from an episode of InuxBoku SS**

 **Much love to you from the official mascots of "Where The Light Enters", Runt and Greenbean.**

 **"Where The Light Enters** "

" **Tea and Distance** "

Mai signed off on the last of the transfer papers, putting them into an envelope to mail the next day. She grimaced, imagining what postage overseas must cost.

Still.

It would be worth it to be able to transfer to the University of Chicago at the end of the current semester.

She was finally putting Reo Sanda's check to good use.

A knock on her apartment door had her pausing.

She took a breath, steeling herself.

Yasu stood on the other side, arms crossed.

He pushed his way in without waiting to be invited.

"Sure, Yasu. Come on in!" She called after him.

Turning and putting his hands on his hips, he asked "Going somewhere?"

Mai sighed.

"Not for a few weeks." She hedged.

"Mai." Yasu's voice was obviously unamused.

"Fine." She threw up her hands. "I'm transferring to the University of Chicago next semester."

Yasu's jaw dropped. "The University of Chicago? As in, the one in Chicago? In America?"

"Ye-es." Mai agreed slowly.

Yasu stared at her.

"I think it's time you told me what's going on."

She walked past him towards her tiny kitchen. She'd already started boxing some stuff up, but she'd left her tea stuff out.

"Want some tea?" She asked.

"With a side of answers?" He retorted.

"I've been thinking about it for a while. It's just time for a change." She evaded his stare.

"You are so full of shit right now." He accused.

"You've been avoiding all of us since the last case. Except for Naru. Him, you're not avoiding. You're ignoring. You've been ignoring him so hard I'm starting to doubt his existence. So what did he do, and who's going to distract Lin while we get rid of his body?" Yasu said.

God, she loved her friend. She was going to miss them all so much. But maybe Yasu most of all. He had a way of taking imperfections and making them so much more reasonable.

"He didn't do anything." She shrugged, focusing on the tea. "We were together for, like, a minute and a half. Now we aren't."

"It's because he blew up the fountain, isn't it?" He asked, scowling.

"Apparently, my presence encourages him to lose control." She picked her words carefully.

"He's an asshole". Yasu said flatly.

"He's an asshole." Mai agreed lightly, telling herself the tightness in her throat would go away in just a minute.

"Wait. Naru's an asshole so you're going to Chicago? Can't we just ship him back to England?" He asked with a devilish glint in his eye.

She choked on a laugh. "I'm not sure it works that way."

"Don't know until we try..." She heard him mutter under his breath.

"Okay." He placed his hands palms down on her counter. "But Chicago? You're sure? What about your stuff? What about my stuff that I keep here? What about me? Does this make me the official baby sitter of team creepy, crawly and crazy?"

"Yes to Chicago. Yes, I am sure. My stuff is going into storage. You're stuff is also if you don't get it out of my apartment ASAP. Lastly, you will be a great baby sitter. Just remind Ayako that Bou-San is on her team, always. Remind Bou-San that Ayako's only acting out because she's scared. Remind Masako that it's okay to tell people no once in a while. Remind John that it's okay to have doubts. And remind yourself that you're awesome." She rattled the list off with a smile.

"And Naru and Lin?" He asked sceptically.

"Three sugars, one cream. Coffee, Black." That was all she had for him on those two...

"Where's those forms...Masako and I will just go with you..." He said with wide eyes.

She laughed again. "Sorry kid. No luck."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

She placed the last of the files in her outbox for Taka, the new secretary, to grab in the morning.

She'd been doing her best to discreet wrap up any last paperwork before midterms, so she could spend her last couple of weeks focused on friends and school. Inside her drawer was her letter of resignation she intended to turn in next week.

She stood, stretching.

She purposefully did not glance through Naru's door.

Just like she did not purposefully watch him out of the corner of her eye.

Every damn second of every moment.

Just like she wasn't remembering what it was like to kiss him or he kissed by him.

Just like she wasn't always four seconds away from either crying or throwing a stapler at his head.

Or both.

Twice.

She'd kept it together. She didn't start arguments. She didn't stomp or glare. She didn't badmouth him (Yasu didn't count).

Really, it worked well.

He didn't speak to her and she didn't slap his stupid perfect face.

Oliver Davis was nothing more than the name on the signature line of her paycheck, and if he wanted space, well she was about to give him an ocean full.

She hoped he drowned in it.

Her phone pinged and she looked down idly.

Reading the message, she froze.

" _We need to talk. In person. I need your help."_

Everything has a price.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Noll picked up the phone, rubbing the bridge of his nose tiredly.

"Shibuya."

"Oliver, darling. It's Mum." Luella's voice was light, but only a fool would miss the thread of steel lining it.

"Hello Mother." Noll braced himself. If she was calling during work hours, she meant business.

Just probably not the SPR kind.

"I just wanted to check on you. How have you been since you got out of the hospital?" She asked.

"I'm perfectly well, thank you." He loved his mother, truly he did...

"And the rest of the team? Lin, Miss Hara...Mai?"

And there it was.

"They all appear quite well. How have you been?" He deflected artfully.

He'd been raised by this woman. He knew battle strategy.

"Oh, I'm fine darling. But I must admit, I'm just a tad bit worried about the Tokyo office. Not the quality of the work, of course darling. It's exceptional as always. It's the moral I'm concerned with. Lin mentioned things have been a tad...chilly around the office since your last case."

Noll doubted Lin had said anything of the sort. But he'd long since given up attempting to discover how his mother knew the things she knew...

"Well, actually he might have used the term 'glacial'.." She was still talking but he was no longer listening, attention focused on the girl standing at her desk outside the office.

They'd barely spoken two words since the day in hotel room. She'd obviously been upset, with every reason to be.

He'd heard people use the expression "It's killing me..."

But to a scientist who'd lived the early years of his life being passed around from orphanage to foster home and back again, it had always sounded melodramatic.

And yet this distance between Mai and himself was doing just that.

It was killing him.

Even knowing it was the right thing to do, even knowing it was the only thing he could do.

It had still taken every ounce of self control he'd had not to...

Well.

Not to do everything. Or Anything.

Whatever it took to fix this thing between them that he'd broken.

But that was the problem.

He wanted to do anything, and his anything was a lot more dangerous than most.

But watching her now, he knew something was wrong.

Deeply wrong, if the expression on her face was anything to go by.

She was staring at her phone like it had just bitten her, and now poison was slowly creeping through her veins.

He'd seen many expressions on her face, but for the first time, she looked...

Haunted.

"I have to go, Mum. I'll call you..." He hung up without waiting for her response. He'd pay for that little stunt later, but right now his instincts were telling him something was wrong.

"Mai." He said her name from his doorway.

All around them, the rest of the staff froze. Everyone had been doing their best to stay clear or the Cold War between their Boss and Mai.

She didn't answer for a moment, obviously lost in her own thoughts.

It twisted something inside of him to watch her. He'd barely allowed himself to look at her these last few weeks, knowing how dangerously hard it would be to not give in.

She blinked, coming back to life slowly. Something changed in her eyes, like shutters coming down, or a door closing.

One minute she was the Mai he'd known for years. Yes, she'd grown and changed. But the inner part of her had remained intrinsically the same.

But this person in front of him...

While not a stranger, he got the sense that she could be one to him.

If she wanted.

This person in front of him was someone other, and he hated it on sight.

It shocked him, the strength of the emotion. He hated everything about it, the look in her eye, the careful way she held herself, the expression on her face...like she was a million miles from anywhere he'd ever think to look for her.

"I'm going out." She said, looking anywhere but at him.

Even her voice was different. It was hollow, like a chasm had opened between them.

"It's not closing time." He said the words automatically. He could care less about work, he just knew instinctively that wherever she was going, he didn't want her too.

She blinked, meeting his eyes for the first time in weeks.

There was something a little cold and cynical in her eyes.

"Fire me."

She walked out without another word as everyone around the office sat gaping.

One by one they slowly turned to look at him. He knew they expected him to be mad, but all he could feel was fear.

He'd thought he knew what it was like to chase after Mai Taniyama.

But something about this was...different.

And he knew he was the last person she'd run to no matter what the circumstances.

He couldn't be with her the way he wanted too. It was solely a problem on his end. The closer he got, the more dangerous he became.

But that didn't mean he would let something harm her.

So he followed her.


	37. Chapter 37

A/N: **Sorry This came out so late. Kittens** **everywhere and my son is having a sleepover. It was too many** **people for my tiny house, so I took everyone to go see** "A **Quiet Place", which is awesome for the record.**

 **Enjoy, and please Review!**

 **My Sandcastle, Not My Sandbox**.

 **Where The Light Enters**

 **"Debts and Deaths** "

When a man has killed for you, you come when he calls.

Even if just looking at his face is a reminder of the darkest chapter in your life. The one page in your entire life's story you'd rip out and burn if you could.

But you don't get to revise your story.

And when a debt gets called in, you honor it.

Atsuo Tanaka was a handsome man, or he would have been, had he not carried a perpetual scowl on his face. His demeanor and pack a day cigarette habit had aged him.

To this day, the smell of his particular brand of cigarettes evoked a dueling sense of comfort and horror in her.

But his deep eyes were clear, and saw more than he ever let on.

Which had been a fortunate thing for Mai, until now.

"Three deaths in the last decade?" She asked, looking at the photos that were splayed out on the table in front of her. "That doesn't seem like a lot, considering the only thing they have in common is your hometown."

Hime sat quietly by Tanaka's leg. Mai wished she could pet her, but knew it was inappropriate as the dog was technically "working".

"And the fact that their bodies weren't recovered. One drowning, one fire. One child lost in the woods. No traces of foul play, but no bodies were ever recovered either."

She bit her lip, frowning as she looked from one picture to the next.

Two boys, one girl.

One was two, one was eight, and the last was fourteen.

Different families, different years, different days. True, all the tragedies occurred in the autumn, but still...

"And someone in your town has asked you to investigate?" She asked, looking up at the private investigator.

He hesitated. "Not exactly."

She looked at him warily. "You know, I'm going to help you no matter what. But I'm due to leave for America in a few weeks, so we'd probably better cut to the chase."

She couldn't meet his eyes for long without buried memories trying to surface, fighting and scrabbling for her attention. She shifted in her seat uncomfortably.

He sighed. "I know. Even asking you seemed inappropriate, given what happened. You seemed to want to put that part of your life behind you. But then I learned you were working with SPR." He said.

She looked up quickly. "Let me be clear. No one but Father Brown knows anything about that. I intend to keep it that way."

There was no reason to pass around a cup of poison if she was already drinking it, after all.

"Any help I give you will be strictly between you and me." She added.

Tanaka stared at her for a hard moment and she forced herself to meet his gaze.

"I heard the priest helped you to get the record sealed." He acknowledged.

"I hadn't turned eighteen yet." She murmured.

Fortunately, the judge had understood that she hadn't wanted to be haunted by that particular specter.

"Alright. Then I guess I should start at the beginning. The beginning for me, that is. My parents died in a boating accident when I was four. My brother Masahiro and I were sent to live with a great-aunt in a small village." Tanaka began.

"This village?" Mai gestured to the files in front of them.

"Yes. Masahiro was only two. The village has an official name, but for as long as anyone can remember, it has always just been referred to as Prosperity." He said.

"Prosperity village?" She questioned.

He nodded. "The village is old. It existed even in the warring states era, according to my Aunt. Despite all the wars, nothing bad seems to ever had there. Violence, illness, economic worries... Nothing ever seems to touch it. There's nearly no crime. It never seems to grow larger than about a thousand people, but never gets much smaller, either. It's like it's untouched by time. But every three years or so, a child dies in a way that makes recovering the body impossible."

Her eyes widened. "For how long?"

Since the warring states era?

"Hundreds of years." Tanaka confirmed.

"And the year I was twelve, Masahiro went missing. His body was never recovered." Tanaka stared out into the distance.

That was it.

The reason he'd come to her. The reason he'd done his research on Prosperity Village.

It was probably the reason he had chosen the careers he had.

"As a child, my Aunt would tell us stories. Ghost stories about bad things that would happen to bad boys and girls. 'Bad' of course would vary from day to day, depending on her mood. It could be forgetting to do your chores, scoring poorly on a test, back talking an elder..."

"And you think her stories originated from some legend pertaining to all the deaths?" She asked, trying to clarify. "Did she ever tell you what the bad things were?"

He shook his head. "No one ever would. The town is some strange mix of perfection and...darkness. I don't have a better word for it. But..."

He trailed off uncomfortably.

"You saw something?" She guessed. He had a look on his face much like the ones she'd seen time after time from incredulous clients who'd never believed in ghosts until it happened to them.

"I was seventeen. I was nearly done with school and desperate to get out of town. I'd gotten home late. I used to work at the grocery store and I'd closed that night. My Aunt runs an inn. Actually, the only inn in town. I walked up the drive and I saw a little girl standing in the moonlight. At first I thought she must have been the child of a guest who'd wandered out of her room. But then I saw she was barefoot. Her clothes were strange, too. Old fashioned. Out of date. And when I called to her..." His voice hesitated, like even he couldn't believe what he was about to say.

"She turned to face me fully, and that was when I saw that half her face was gone. Just gone, nothing but blood and bone. The next moment she was gone. No one ever believed me." He ended on a husky whisper.

That ghost was the reason Mai was alive...

"My gifts can be inconsistent." She chose her words carefully. "But if you want me to come, I will."

"Does Thursday work?" He asked without hesitation.

 _No_.

"Yes." She said. "I'll text my current address."

After Tanaka left, she simply sat there, staring at her cup of tea.

So close.

She'd been so close to getting out and just leaving all this shit behind.

But she wasn't the kind of person to leave a debt behind when such an obvious answer presented itself.

She stopped the waiter. "Could you bring a cup of Earl Grey Tea? It seems I have a friend meeting me here."

 _Friend_.

This entire day was filled with nothing but lies and half-truths.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

He wasn't sure when she became aware that he had followed her, but at some point, she had and they both knew it.

Like a string stretched between them was suddenly pulled tight enough for vibrations to stretch from one side to the other.

He walked over, joining her at the table.

For the first time, she actually seemed...bitter.

"You shouldn't have followed me."

Her voice simmered with a quiet fury unlike her normal self.

"Something was obviously wrong." He replied coolly.

"Other than the fact that I'm being stalked by the man who rejected me twice?" She said, narrowing her eyes at him.

He watched her carefully. This was as close as the two of them had come to discussing what had happened. He'd actually expected much more obvious fallout.

Her silence on the subject had started to make him nervous.

"I didn't reject you, Mai. It was never a matter of not wanting you. We both know that." He said calmly, attempting to deescalate the situation.

"Go fuck yourself."

Apparently it wasn't working.

But whatever she and the other man had been discussing had clearly unnerved her.

Or the man himself had.

"I take it we have a case?" The man had been showing her photos and news clippings. On the surface it hadn't looked any different from any other client meeting.

But the fact that Mai's body language screamed discomfort hadn't sat well with him.

He was well versed in reading her tells, and every single one of them had signaled distress when they had been talking.

"We don't have anything. I'm doing this on my own time." She informed him.

He narrowed his own eyes. "Your contract with SPR specifically prohibits solo contracting outside of the team."

He wasn't above lying to get her out of whatever she had agreed to. She obviously had felt coerced into doing it, though the confusing thing was that he hadn't sensed any threat coming from the other man.

At least, not to Mai.

His guess was that she felt indebted to him, but for what?

"Consider this my two week notice." The look on her face practically dared him to argue with her.

So he didn't bother trying to reason.

"I'm the strongest psychometrist in Japan." He didn't consider it bragging if it was true. "I'll simply follow you."

She gaped at him. "How dare you? How dare you. You wanted this. You and me, separate. Well, now we are, separate. You don't have the right to just follow me around."

He shrugged. "And yet, we both know I'll do what I want anyway. And I'll drag the whole team behind me. And whatever this is, it's obviously dangerous. Or you wouldn't be trying to keep us out."

To keep him out.

She stared at him in silent fury.

"Do you even care how hard this is for me?" She whispered.

His chest tightened.

"Mai, the problem is you're the only thing I seem to care about. So while we can't be together, neither can I let you walk alone into some dangerous situation." He stated it factually, as is he wasn't beating at the bars of his own self control.

She took a breath. He could see the strain in her face, the tension of her jaw.

"Fine. Come along on the case. I'll give Lin the details. But I have one condition, and so help me, if you don't honor it I'll tell the entirety of Japan who you really are." She met his eyes coldly.

He wasn't sure if he even cared about his identity anymore, but discretion seemed the better part of valor at this point.

"I understand."

"That man's name is Atsuo Tanaka. And you never ask either him or I how we met." Her shoulders were hunched, a slightly defensive posture that made his stomach sick and his mind determined to find out the truth.

But this was not the time.

She stood, reaching for the check.

He picked it up before she could. "I'll take care of it."

He thought for a moment she might actually take her cup of tea and throw it on him. He couldn't explain why he baited her like that sometimes.

Only that he felt the need to engage her, to focus her attention on him.

And on a deeper, more primal level, he wanted to pay because a part of him still considered her as being his.

That deeper part of him cared very little for reason or logic. It wasn't impressed by his decision.

"Give it to me, Davis." She practically growled the words at him.

"I won the date." He said simply.

"What the hell are you talking about?" She said.

"At the poker game. The bet was the winner got a date with you." He stood, the bill in his hand.

"I'm cashing in my prize."

It still wanted Mai Taniyama.


	38. Chapter 38

A/N: And here's the next chapter!

Where The Light Enters

"Charming Deception"

Mai shifted in the passenger seat, trying to quietly stretch out her legs. John was driving an SPR car, and Yasu and Masako were asleep in the back.

It had been a long drive, and Mai was only thankful she'd ended up in the car she had. Bou-San and Ayako were in the car behind them (in case Ayako needed to head back to the hospital for any emergencies), and Lin and Naru were in the van ahead of them.

The van was tall enough to block her view of Tanaka's car as it led the motley crew down the winding, hilly road.

Prosperity village was located at the base of a small mountain, and even though its elevation wasn't that high in the scheme of things, they'd already climbed a ways above sea level.

"So, nobody else knows? Are you sure you want to keep it that way, Mai?" John asked quietly, glancing over at her.

"Absolutely." She didn't even have to think about it. Knowing the truth wasn't going to make anyone feel any better, and in just a few weeks she was leaving the country anyway.

What was the point of telling everyone now? She was thankfully starting to go numb to Tanaka's presence.

Just looking at him didn't make her hear the echoes of gunshots anymore, at least.

"What's done is done. It has no bearing on the present case anyway." She added.

She wasn't sure exactly what Naru had told everyone. Perhaps he had told them Tanaka was an old customer from the Tea Shop.

She didn't know and really didn't care as long as no one asked questions.

"Mai, you know, it might be a little less traumatic if you spoke to someone about the whole thing." John said gently.

"I spoke with you. And Tanaka. And the police. And a judge." She was all talked out on that particular subject.

The door was closed.

"If you say so-" John's reply was cut off by her shriek as something dark shot across the highway in front of the car.

John slammed on the brakes, trying his best to control the spin the car entered, but then Bou-San's car clipped them from behind and they shot over the embankment.

Mai could do nothing but hold on and they careened down the hill, trees and boulders shooting past on either side as John did his best to guide the vehicle.

She could hear Yasu and Masako's confused cries from the backseat, but everything was happening so fast.

She saw the fallen tree and knew there was no way that John could avoid it.

"Hold on!" John yelled.

She closed her eyes, thankful she'd worn her belt as they hurtled into the obstacle. The airbags deployed with shocking force, as her should caught painfully against her belt.

There was a loud crunching noise, the tinkle of broken glass. Her face ached from hitting the air bag.

She could feel the engines heat, the smell of hot metal.

She blinked dazedly.

"Everyone okay?" John garbled the words, and she looked over to see his nose was bleeding.

"What happened?" Yasu said in confusion.

She heard Masako's pained inhale and then "it's okay. A piece of glass got my arm, it's not deep."

Mai carefully tested her limbs.

Everything seemed to be in working order, though her ears were ringing and every time she closed her eyes, the car still seemed to be spinning.

"Mai! John!"

"Masako!"

Yasu!"

She could hear the others voices, the sound of gravel rolling down the hill around them.

They were coming down the embankment.

"Guys, I think I smelled gas!" Yasu's voice held an edge of warning.

"Everyone out of the car!" John said worriedly.

Mai tried her door, but it wouldn't open.

"It's jammed!" She muttered. Behind her she could hear Yasu and Masako opening their doors.

"Mine too." John said. "Climb over the back."

The smell of gas was getting stronger now.

"I'll go through the window. Climb through the back!" She said, starting to roll the window down. She would fit better than John anyway.

Her hands were still shaking a little, however, making her fumbling and slow.

The others were circled outside the car.

"Get them out!" She heard Naru say.

Bou-San and Ayako were leading Yasu and Masako, who's both ended up going out Masako's door.

John followed.

The smell of gas was starting to make her sick to her stomach, but her window was finally all the way down. She started to push her body out before her shoulder caught on the belt.

She'd forgotten her damn belt.

She could hear Hime barking now.

A hand reached inside the car, briskly clicking her belt open.

"Watch your head!" Naru ordered as he snagged her under the arms, pulling her through the window. She nearly tumbled into his arms before she was able to get her feet on the ground.

She was still a little shaky though, and Naru looped a hand around her waist, half guiding and half carrying her to a safer distance from the car.

The loose shale under foot made it hard for her to stay upright, and it was longer than she liked before she was able to pull away from him.

He reached for her again, for her face this time. Probably to check her pupils to make sure she hadn't hit her head, but she wasn't having any of it.

"I'm fine." She said, yanking herself away.

He glared at her. "You were just in a car wreck."

"Ayako can check me out." She said, wrapping her arms around herself and glaring right back.

"Mai..." He began, but she cut him off.

"No." She hissed the word lowly, mindful of their surroundings. "You don't get to touch me anymore."

He seemed to deflate a little at her statement, but she forced herself to harden her heart against the sight.

She was only playing by his rules, after all.

Two hours later, she dozed in the back of Bou-San's car as they finished the trip to Prosperity Village.

The SPR car was a total loss, but they'd actually only been a few miles from the village when the wreck occurred. The rest of the time had been spent waiting on the village's only tow truck.

Bou-San's car had some minor damage, mostly cosmetic, but one headlight was destroyed so he couldn't drive it at night until that was repaired. Ayako has insisted that she and John ride with them, as they had taken the brunt of the impact.

Yasu and Masako had ended up with Tanaka.

"What was that?" Bou-San asked, glancing at her and John in the rear view mirror. "It was like an animal, but the size..."

"It looked like it was running upright." John admitted. "The way a person would. It was too fast to have been human, but the way it moved reminded me of a human and I panicked."

Mai frowned. Though it hadn't looked human, it had somehow given a human impression.

They'd looked all over the hillside, but had found no trace of whatever it was that had caused the wreck.

She stilled as a memory came to her. When she'd been in the fountain, head underwater, she'd seen a dark shape shoot overhead. Later on, she'd learned it was Naru attacking Kurosawa.

Whatever had run in front of them had looked similar, but much faster.

Not inhuman, per se.

But certainly more than human.

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Ayako studied the village thoughtfully. The Tanaka's Inn was on the very base of the mountain, making it a good vantage point to survey the rest of the village.

It certainly was peaceful. Serenity seemed to float in the very air. It made her feel lazy, like tying up a hammock and swinging the afternoon away.

But the trees...

The trees in the village, the whole base of the mountain, in fact...

They were empty.

This far in the country, the Elder spirits should have been flourishing. But despite the fact that the whole village was surrounded by a deep forest, she could sense only a handful of trees that were still truly 'alive'.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Lin frowned.

His shiki were restless.

But not because they could sense anything.

Rather, because they couldn't sense anything.

Any place as old as Prosperity Village should, by rights, have at least a few spirits hanging about.

Yet this place was free of anything supernatural, spirit or otherwise.

It was unnaturally perfect.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Yasu couldn't but his finger on it.

The town was beautiful. Like a postcard or a painting.

But it was like looking at a picture on the wall that was just the slightest bit off kilter. Like he could see the slanted angle out of the corner or his eye.

It made him a little nauseous, if truth be told, but he supposed it could be aftereffects of the car wreck.

Still, he pulled Masako closer.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Bou-San frowned, rolling his shoulders. The tension refused to leave however. This place was charming.

And somehow oppressive.

Like the air had something extra in it.

It reminded him of some of the holy places on Mt. Hoya, but not in a good way.

"Old gods..." He murmured.

Yes. The Okubu-Sama's cave.

That was what it reminded him of.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

John walked along the outside of the inn, studying his surroundings.

Sometimes he still felt very foreign in this country.

He wasn't sure if that was the case here in Prosperity Village, or if it was something more malignant making him feel so...unwelcome.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Lemonade laced with antifreeze.

Mai couldn't have said what it was that made her think it.

But as soon as she did, she knew it was spot on.

The village was just as Tanaka had said, idyllic and charming.

But underneath, there was something poisonous.

Like drinking the best glass of lemonade you'd ever tasted.

Then finding out it was sweetened with antifreeze.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Masako shuddered once. The afternoon sun was warm on her skin, yet on the inside, she felt ice cold.

What could make a place feel like this?

Was the whole town built on some sort of sacred land?

Her eyes saw nothing but beauty, yet her skin crawled, like she was listening to someone scrape their fingernails down a chalkboard.

Yet all she could here, both physically and spiritually, was silence.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Hime growled low in her throat again.

Atsuo shushed her, and she sank into a crouch, whining fitfully.

She always did this when they returned to his home town.

All around him, the SPR team looked like they wanted to whine right along with Hime.

It was obvious from their varying faces of discomfort that they felt whatever it was he'd always sensed about Prosperity Village.

It felt the same as always to him.

Warm and welcoming.

And yet, there was always that little voice in his mind that warned-

"Don't get too comfortable..."

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Noll watched his team members intently, Mai in particular.

To a one, they were all uncomfortable, even Yasu.

He didn't sense anything himself. But he knew he didn't tend to feel things the way others did.

His mind had a habit of dissecting things, categorizing them, classifying them.

He could tell you the village had exactly nineteen paved roads. That there were only two stoplights. That there was one church, and two shrines inside the village proper.

That their appeared to be an inordinate amount of healthy, calm people walking about and talking relaxedly.

But the children they'd passed...

He'd seen something, a look in some of their eyes.

A look he recognized from his time in the orphanage.

A look he still sometimes saw in Mai's eyes.

A certain kind of fear, the kind someone gets when they're young enough to still need protection but wise enough to know it isn't coming.

Looking at her now, he considered calling this whole case off.

He'd never do that, of course. Not that Mai would have let him.

And yet, the urge was still there.

"Hello!" An older woman was coming down the stairs.

"I'm Tanaka's Aunt. My name is Mashiro, but you might as well just call me Grandmother. The whole village does.

Noll watched Mai intently. Her instincts were always spot on, and after she'd nearly been killed, he vowed to watch even closer.

To protect her.

But if anything, the older woman's presence seemed to relax her and the rest of his team.

Even Tanaka was smiling.

His dog still whines at his feet, however.


	39. Chapter 39

A/N: So much creepy action! Mairu action sometime in the next chapter or two, but for now she's still mad, lol.

"Where The Light Enters"

"Lock and Key"

Mai wandered the halls of the Inn, trying to get a feel for the place. Grandmother was certainly friendly enough. She almost seemed amused that Tanaka had brought the team in.

She wondered if that meant that only psychics could sense the underlying unease in the village?

But that didn't make sense because Yasu had said he felt uneasy also.

Perhaps Grandmother had just become numb to it after a while? Or perhaps only outsiders could sense it? After all, who would choose to continue living in a place like this if they felt the way the SPR team did?

The others were out and about, checking out the town. The disappearances took place all over the village, so there were no real hotspots, because everywhere was a hotspot.

She turned down another dim corridor. This was a surprisingly large inn for a village this size.

They had the whole second floor to themselves.

Each team member had a bedroom with a bathroom, plus there were two adjoining living areas on one end they were using as a base. The inn did not have an excess of wall outlets, however. So the team members were mostly carrying around handheld cameras.

She glanced down another poorly lit hall. Seeing nothing interesting, she turned away, but a sound behind her had her pausing.

It sounded like something rolling.

She turned around, squinting through the shadows.

Her breath caught.

Something small was rolling towards her, wobbling and weaving on the old plank floor.

A ball?

The hair was standing up on her arms as it came to rest at her feet, gently bumping into her tennis shoe.

She bent down warily. The hall had grown cooler, but not devastatingly so.

"Hello?" She called as she picked the ball up.

It was red and rubber, like a child might learn to play catch with. The size of a baseball, it fit easily into her hand.

But it was sticky.

She stilled as she stared at her fingers. They were stained a muddy scarlet, and the scent of copper reached her nose.

Blood.

She resisted the urge to drop the ball with a squeal.

If something was trying to contact her, she didn't want to scare it off.

Suppressing her shudder, she looked down the hall. From this angle, she could see the trail of blood the ball had left behind. It danced and weaved down the hallway.

Like bloody little breadcrumbs.

Steeling her nerves, she stood. Carefully, pausing after every few steps, she began to follow the blood trail down the hall.

Naru would probably be pissed she was doing this by herself.

Screw Naru and the van he rode in on.

The trail went all the way down to the end of the hall, and she followed it as it veered left, around a corner she hadn't realized was there.

She gasped, dropping the ball.

Before her was a closed door. The dull white paint shone in the dim light, glaringly out of place in the muted earth tones of the hallway.

In fact, the entire Inn had wooden doors, from what she had seen.

But even without knowing that, she would have known this door was out of place.

Because she recognized this door.

She crept forward on numb legs.

How?

Raising a shaking hand, she ran her fingers over the chipped and splintered wood. The scratches and gouges made it obvious something had once tried to get in.

And it hadn't been a friendly something.

Her shaking intensified.

"This isn't real..." She whispered, forcing down flashbacks of pounding fists and gun shots.

The wood was raw in some places, gaping wounds edged in splinters.

She looked down, certain she would see blood begin to pool from under the door, creeping with steady tenacity towards her shoes.

She could hear the echoes of her own screams now, feel tears threatening to fall.

But all she saw was the blood trail, running straight to the door.

She couldn't open it.

Opening that door was bad-

Her heart was pounding, it was hard for her to get a deep breath-

"Are you lost, dear?"

Mai shrieked, jumping back from the door as if it had burned her.

Grandmother stood there, watching her in curious concern.

"I...I..." Mai fumbled, looking behind her at the door again.

It was completely different.

Dark, aged wood in a similar frame.

No white paint. No blood. No scratches or gouges.

She felt a sense of vertigo for a second as reality seemed to snap back into place.

Grandmother hadn't seen it?

"Oh! Did you need a broom? Atsuo must have told you where I stored the cleaning supplies! What a good girl you are! But that's my job dear. You don't worry about a thing. Why don't you go join your friends?" Grandmothers voice was kind and she felt herself relax.

She gave off an aura of comfort and safety.

She opened the door, showing a perfectly mundane closet. A few brooms, a mop and a bucket.

"Thank you." She murmured, backing down the hall.

What the hell was that?

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Yasu whistled to himself as he exited the small room that acted as the village's library.

It had been small, to say the least. The village didn't even has its own newspaper.

Some shelves with census records, incorporation papers, things like that.

But no real history or records pertaining the town's backstory. He supposed it could primarily still be told orally. That was how Tanaka originally learned the stories they were trying to investigate. But still, he'd never seen anyplace with so little written documentation.

Was that even legal?

And thinking of Tanaka, Yasu's frown deepened. He couldn't place his finger on it, but for some reason he was sure that Mai knew the guy better than she was letting on.

He didn't exactly look like a Tea Shop regular. Plus, Yasu kept seeing loaded looks being passed between them.

He got the feeling John knew more than he was letting on too.

But no one kept secrets better than Catholic Priests. He'd learned that when they'd been investigating the Church.

The hair on the back of his neck suddenly prickled, and he paused. Turning around, he cocked his head in confusion before shaking it ruefully.

He could have sworn he'd turned that light out behind him when he'd left. The "Town Hall", was really little more than a few room building where people could mail letters and such.

The secretary at the front counter had been puzzled but accommodating when he'd asked to view the public records. She had been about to leave for the evening, so she'd simply asked that he shut all the lights off when he left.

There really must be no crime here if she hadn't even mentioned locking the building.

He flipped the switch, plunging the records room into darkness.

Turning back to walk towards the door, a sound had him turning around again.

The light was on.

He stilled, doing his best to look around without seeming overly alarmed.

Masako had told him that spirits were more likely to remain calm if the person they were around remained calm.

He took a step towards the records room again, pausing when he heard what sounded like a young child's giggle.

It was soft and high pitched, and seemed to echo far more than the tiny building would merit.

"Hello?" He called quietly.

He'd been around ghost activity before, of course. But unlike the others, he wasn't in the least bit sensitive. He fingered his amulet speculatively.

Perhaps a real child was inside?

"Hello?" He called again, a little louder as he reached the door of the records room. It appeared empty, exactly as he'd left it.

The sound of bare feet against the tile from behind him had him spinning.

Nothing was there.

But he was certain he'd heard the sound of someone running behind him...

This time, the sound came from the records room.

He looked inside.

Still empty.

He began to back away slowly. He was no coward, but without another team member, there was little he could do but get himself in trouble right now...

"One..."

The voice was pitched high, obviously a young child.

"Two..."

But he couldn't make out if it was a boy or girl.

"Three..."

More giggles, and Yasu suddenly got the sense that it was more than one child.

Or more than one spirit.

"Four!"

The lights went out, plunging the hallway into darkness.

Yasu cursed under his breath. It had still been daylight when he'd come to the Town Hall.

He hadn't brought a flashlight.

Slowly, he began backing down the hall. Though in the dark, it probably didn't matter which way he faced.

He could feel a chill in the air now.

How did Mai and Masako always stay so calm?

More running, more giggling.

Like he was surrounded in the dark by little figures darting and skipping around him.

He could almost feel the breeze of their passing.

As his back hit the door, the light in the records room came on again, like a beacon at the end of the hall.

He view of the room was partially blocked by the door, but it still appeared empty.

So who was casting the shadow in the doorway?

It wavered and seemed to grow, elongating just a little.

"Don't you wanna play with us?" The voice seemed innocent.

Yasu didn't think it was, though.

He grasped the door knob, yanking it open behind him.

He stumbled out into the evening air, nearly breaking his ankle on the steps.

The secretary from earlier stood at the bottom, staring up at him in consternation.

"Oh, I figured you'd be done by now. There aren't exactly a lot of records." She smiled brightly, walking up the last of the stairs.

"Thanks for shutting off all the lights." She said, inserting the key in the lock.

Indeed, now that she was here the building was completely dark and silent.

"No problem." He muttered, backing down the steps.

At the sidewalk, he paused.

"Out of curiosity, how many children would you say live in Prosperity?" He asked.

She cocked her head, smiling again. "Children?"

Was it his imagination, or did something in her eyes darken just a bit?

"Perhaps a hundred, or so. Why do you ask?" She said.

One hundred out of one thousand. A tenth of the population.

"Just curious." He said vaguely, smiling back.

Something was very wrong here if even he could sense it. But none of the adults he'd encountered on his walk today had seemed the least bit unsettled.

He wondered how the living children felt.

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Houshou lay in bed that night, Ayako snuggled into his shoulder.

Who would have ever expected the independent woman would be such a cuddled.

His mind drifted back over what Yasu had reported happening at the Town Hall.

He and Ayako had only walked through town to the tree line, as she had wanted to investigate the edge of the forest. She'd be unsettled by the complete absence of so many of the elder spirits. She'd wanted to investigate, and he hadn't been about to let her go walking the forest alone.

The forest here made him feel uneasy. Ayako had described it as "empty", but to him...

It had felt more like "hungry."

And then there was Mai, with the haunted look in her eyes. It seemed different than the pain she'd been carrying for the last few weeks, and he and Ayako had no idea what to do about it.

Well, Ayako had suggested castrating Naru, but he'd vetoed that suggestion.

He was afraid all they could do about the Mai/Naru situation was wait.

But he couldn't help but feel like something else was at play.

Mai was, if not secretive then certainly reticent by nature. She didn't wear her pain on her sleeve. She'd speak up for anyone, friend or foe if they needed it.

But though she was everyone's secret keeper, she seldom told hers...

A sound in the darkened room had him stiffening slightly, unconsciously pulling Ayako closer.

It had sounded like a footstep, but as his eyes searched the shadowy room, he could discern nothing amiss.

Had it just been his imagination?

A whisper of cloth against cloth had his eyes widening as slowly, ever so slowly, the sheet he and Ayako were laying under began sliding off of them.

As if we're being pulled off by someone standing at the foot of the bed.

He narrowed his eyes.

Yasu has described the actions of the spirits at the town hall as "seemingly playful", as in, it seemed playful yet had somehow felt malicious, and Houshou agreed completely.

With a live child, this might be a simple joke.

But whatever this thing had once been, it certainly wasn't alive now.

"Nou-Maku-San-" He launched into the chant without hesistation, voice pitched low as to try and avoid waking Ayako. He didn't bother to sit up. Instead, he poured his spiritual energy into his words. He hadn't even particularly wanted to bring Ayako on another case involving ghost children, not after losing the baby and the earth spirit possessing her.

It had seemed to much to expect her to bear, but she'd never even hesitated and he'd long since given up trying to stop a force of nature like Ayako.

But that didn't mean he couldn't drive out this little shot of a spirit before it upset her.

He started chanting just a little louder. Ayako shifted in his arms, probably feeling the flow of his spiritual energy, but she was familiar with it, and she didn't wake.

Slowly, the presence he sensed began to dim. The sheet stopped sliding down, and the temperature in the room began to normalize.

"Next time I won't be so nice." He warned out loud to the now empty room.

He got the sense it heard him anyway


	40. Chapter 40

A/N: Yay! This story is officially my most reviewed story ever! You rock GH Fandom! Most creepy ghost antics. Since it's the last case, I wanted everyone to get a little action.

Where The Light Enters

"Echos That Never Were"

"What is this place?" Mai asked Gene warily as she looked around. There were on a path of some sort. The woods were thin here, she could see glimpses of ProsperityVillage peeking between the trees.

"I'm not sure." Gene admitted quietly. He seemed sad, and Mai wasn't sure if it was the effect of the village or if what happened between her and Naru.

There was an unspoken rule between them that Naru wasn't mentioned, and except for that one time, he wasn't.

"What's wrong with this place?" She asked him.

He shook his head. "There are things here. They look like children, but I don't think they are. It's a little like the Okubusama, but not quite."

"But they're dangerous, aren't they?" She asked quietly.

"Be very careful." He agreed.

She wanted to ask him about what he knew, about her and the white door. But he'd never mentioned it to her before, and it felt like tempting fate.

The path widened suddenly, into a sunny clearing. Autumn was hard at work here. The clearing was full of dead flowers.

All sorts, bushes and low flower beds lined in chunks of raw stone.

Perhaps it was charming in the summer, but now, in the crisp autumn air, with the dried leaves rattling in the breeze, it was simply...

A dead garden.

Even the grass was yellowed and brittle. She felt her anxiety spike.

"This is a bad place." Gene murmured and she nodded.

She felt him take her hand and she wasn't sure who was comforting who.

"The path goes right through." She nodded at the far end of the clearing, where the path once again entered the forest.

But this time, the woods were much darker. Sinister shadows slumbered under dark boughs.

"Mai..." Gene's voice was hesitant.

"Whatever this thing is, it hunts kids, doesn't it? It hunts kids and then it does something to them?" It was only a hunch, but it felt right.

"I think so." Gene whispered.

She stepped forward, into the shadows.

It was much colder here. The silence had a weight to it, no birds sang, no crickets chirped.

A mist was starting to trickle through the woods, caressing the tree trunks as it oozes towards Mai.

"Gene-" She turned to ask him what he thought, but he was gone.

Great. So wherever she was, it was too dangerous for Gene to be in his spirit form. She didn't think he'd leave her behind if it were dangerous for her.

She hoped.

Fingering her medallion, she resolutely pushed forward, shuddering as the trees began the crowd the path. The mist coiled around her legs like something alive.

The second clearing was much larger, who the thickening mist made it impossible for her to determine just how large it actually was.

She could sense it was immense, however. The tree line in the far distance seemed to break ahead, and she surmised that the path continued on the other side of this clearing also, but if that was the case, she couldn't follow it.

Because she wasn't alone.

The mist was higher than her waist now, dense but not so dense that she couldn't see the figures standing sentinel throughout the clearing.

Different sizes, ages, boys and girls.

The children watched her with dead eyes.

Their clothes, from what she could see, came from many eras, from kimonos to jeans. Some were soaking wet. Some were burned.

Others were missing limbs. She saw a little girl with half her face torn off and she shuddered, remembering Tanaka's story.

This place was where nightmares were born.

The first clearing had been a garden of dead flowers.

This was a garden of dead children.

And still, they watched her, motionless, their eyes shining in the mist.

She felt the scream bubbling up in her throat, but forced it down.

This would be a bad time to scream.

She thought perhaps that was what they wanted, this ocean of the dead.

The sun broke overhead suddenly, shining right into her eyes. She raised her hand instinctively, shielding her eyes.

A moment later, a cloud crossed in front of the sun and she looked around, blinking.

They children were gone, all of them.

But everywhere a child had stood, a stone, perhaps knee high and roughly irregular stood.

Mai caught her breath.

There were hundreds of them. In the sun she could see how large the clearing was, could see Prosperity Village below them.

And she could see how many stones dotted the clearing.

There couldn't possibly be this many spirits?

What was this place?

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Lin frowned as he thought of the dream Mai had relayed.

It had literally shocked her. She'd been so upset Naru he insisted she stay back at the Inn where he could keep and eye on her and she'd actually listened.

Lin didn't know everything that had transpired between the two of them, but he knew it had ended badly, so the fact that she stayed with him told him how bad her dream had been.

But how was that possibly? His shiki couldn't find anything. Masako couldn't clearly see anything.

What killed children and then turned their spirits into something Mediums couldn't see or an Onmyodo couldn't sense?

Mai said Gene likened it to the Okubusama, and Lin could only shake his head.

A god demanding living sacrifices? People often sacrificed to gods, but in his experience, even the most violent of gods were more interested in the kill than the spirit.

Even the Okubusama had only used the trapped spirits to do its bidding.

So what would be the purpose of enslaving the children's spirits?

He came to the edge of the small school's play yard. It doubled as the villages only park as well, but despite the fact that it was late morning, no one was playing.

Lin frowned. Grandmother had said the school was not in session on Saturdays.

So why were no children playing here?

Yasu had mentioned that children accounted for nearly a tenth of the village's population.

Yet he'd seen very few.

And Naru had said something strange yesterday.

He very seldom spoke of his days in the orphanage, but he'd mentioned something about the children in this village...

Their eyes.

He'd said they had a look in their eyes that had reminded him of the orphanage.

Danger.

He frowned.

Did the children here somehow sense the danger, instead of being lulled into the false sense of security as the adults did?

Tanaka had mentioned seeing a ghost, but not of feeling afraid.

Was it some kind of fear that faded as they grew into adulthood? Dismissed as fears of the dark and closer monsters were?

The only problem was that Lin knew for a fact that sometimes those monsters were very real.

And shouldn't be forgotten.

He turned away from the playground. If the school house was unlocked as most of the buildings I. The village seemed to be, he could investigate in there...

A sound behind him had him turning.

One of the swings had begun to move slowly, back and forth.

The others were motionless.

There was no wind.

Lin narrowed his eyes.

Despite what he was seeing, his shiki could still sense nothing.

It was like the village was two worlds overlapping each other. His senses were on one level, and these things, whatever they were, were in the over.

The swing began moving higher, the chain jingling at the apex of each swing. It looked and sounded just like a child was sitting there.

But he still could neither see nor sense anything.

The swing twisted a little, and Lin suddenly remembered when Mai had been possessed years ago. She had made him watch her on the swings.

At one point she'd jumped off, and Lin had been afraid she'd break an ankle on the landing.

But she hadn't, and the crunch of the gravel in front of the swing set now sounded just as her landing had years ago.

The gravel crunched again, the slightest of indentions giving the impression of a foot print.

And then another.

And another.

It, whatever it was, was walking towards him.

He raised his hands, debating which protective wars would work best.

Tawkigawa had said his normal warding had worked last night. But Lin had never encountered a creature or entity that his shiki couldn't interact with...

"Lin!"

Lin looked over.

Yasu and Masako stood there. Masako was silently watching the Sams patch of gravel as he was.

He wondered what she saw...

The presence was fading. Nothing concrete changed, yet he felt it fade just the same.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Hime! Hime!" Ayako cupped her hands around her mouth to amplify her voice.

Tanaka had been beyond shaken when Hime had disappeared that morning. It made her wonder if perhaps she was a service dog of some sort. Tanaka was obviously the reticent type, so it wouldn't surprise her to find out he had hid something like that.

He'd been so upset she'd finally offered to go help look. Houshou was still in the shower, but she was a grown woman, after all.

Still, she made sure to keep some space between herself and the tree line.

Adult or not, she wasn't an idiot.

A mewling sound caught her attention, and she swung back around to face the forest.

"Hime!" She called again, but then frowned.

It hadn't sounded like a dog.

It had sounded like a baby.

She'd delivered enough infants to recognize that particularly cooing cry that only newborns have.

But there was no way a baby would be out in the forest.

She took a step closer anyway, trying to look deeper into the shadows.

The empty trees were like ghosts all on their own, like empty suits of armor without any soldiers within.

But that cry...

It echoed again, and she found herself moving forward.

Perhaps a new mother had gone for a walk with her child and fallen, or even passed out. Medical care couldn't be that great in a place as rural as this.

It never occurred to her that the sound was that of a ghost.

Because infants didn't become ghosts. They lacked the awareness to feel hate or fear. They had no unfinished business.

She stood under the nearest tree, holding her breath as she strained to hear something, anything.

The cry echoed from deeper in the forest and something primal in her chest wanted to answer it.

Surely even someplace as twisted as this village wouldn't have mothers abandoning their babies...

Her arms aches everyday to hold her own child.

She didn't feel the tears falling down her cheeks. Her mind was completely focused on the sound of crying.

"I'm coming..." She called softly.

A sudden yank on her arm had her flying back into a hard chest. Arms wrapped around her waist, lifting her bodily off the ground as she was pulled backwards, into the Inn's yard.

Into the light.

She struggled against him.

"Houshou! Stop! Let me go, there's a baby..." She said desperately.

"There's no baby." He said grimly.

She shook her head, struggling harder. "You don't understand, I heard it..."

"Ayako, stop. Look at your arms! You were in thorn bushes and you didn't even feel it! You didn't he me call you! You're bleeding, damn it!" His voice was frantic and angry, but she knew it wasn't directed at her.

She looked at her arms in shock. Angry scratches crisscrossed her skin, blood welling up slowly.

"Houshou?" She asked in scared confusion.

She felt his arms tighten around her. "I've got you."

She knew she should hate just how much she needed him in order to feel safe.

She turned, wrapping her arms around him.

"I don't like this place." She whispered.

"And we're leaving, as soon as the car's repaired. If the case isn't resolved by then, so be it."

Houshou's voice was determined.

She shook her head "Mai-"

"Will sit her ass in the car with the other kids and we're getting out of here. Naru and the others can make up their own minds. But when the car is fixed, the five of us are leaving. I don't k ow what this place is, but it wants to hurt us. We can't fight an entire army."


	41. Chapter 41

**A/N: This is officially my most reviewed story! So exciting. Things are starting to pick up a little. Sorry the chapters have been so short. It's just easier now that I'm always having formatting problems**.

 **As Always, Not My Sandbox, Just My Sandcastle**

 **Much Love** ,

 **RavensGame**

 **Where The Light Enters**

" **All The World's A Stage** "

John walked through the silent church. Though it was beautifully maintained, something about it felt...

False.

For as long as he could remember, Churches has calmed him. Even the one where Bou-San had become possessed had still felt like a Church, albeit a haunted one.

But this place... it felt like an empty storefront.

Like a display.

He walked down the aisles, towards the front door. No one seemed to be here at the moment.

Perhaps the priest was out visiting a parishioner. He dipped his fingers absentmindedly into the font, then froze.

Though the Church itself was quite cool to him, the water was shockingly warm.

And thick.

He looked down, bracing himself.

The font was filled with blood. Now that he recognized it, he realized he could smell the coppery scent everywhere. He He turned around in a circle quickly, trying to sense the danger.

The crucifix of the alter seemed wrong, and it took him a minute to realize that blood was falling from the eyes of the corpus.

It was literally weeping blood.

He took out his Rosary, clutching the crucifix in his hand in case he needed it.

" _What name do you give your child?_ "

" _What do you ask of God's Church?_ "

 _"I now trace the cross on your forehead.._ "

The words were familiar to John and yet wrong.

Interspersed with the holy words of the baptism ceremony were giggles and snickers. The words themselves, seeming to echo from all around him, were spoken in myriad high pitched voices, like those of children pretending to be priests.

He'd seen similar phenomenon, once before, back home in Australia. The work of a demon.

And yet-

"What do you want? How can we help you?" John called out, his own vial of holy water now clutched in his other hand.

Whatever this thing was, it was no demon. Once you'd been in the presence of a demon, there was no confusion over whether something was truly demonic. John sensed malice, certainly.

But no demon.

Was it pretending to be a demon?

Why?

Because they were in a church? Because he was a priest?

The sounds faded, little giggles melting into the shadows.

" _Come play with us..._ "

" _John_.."

John looked around grimly once more before striding out of the Church. Righteous fury simmered below his calm exterior.

A Church was meant to be a sanctuary and something had just used it as the set of an obscene play.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Masako stepped out of the shower, lost in thought.

At least there was plenty of hot water at the Inn.

But what was wrong with this town?

Masako had seen spirits for as long as she could remember.

And on only a handful of times could she remember truly being scared. Spirits were simply people who had failed to move on. Though their presence could be strong enough to cause her physical discomfort, she was seldom afraid.

Even now, though she could sense the wrongness of this place, she couldn't see any spirits.

What could do that?

What could block her vision?

Obviously there were spirits here. Were they on such a different wavelength that she couldn't sense them? But Mai had reported there being hundreds in her dream. There was no way hundreds of spirits could all be in this town and on a different wavelength from her.

Not every spirit in town.

Unless...

The towel dropped from her numb hands, falling softly to the ground.

It couldn't be.

Not the whole town...

How could that even be possible?

She shook her head, trying to school her thoughts. She needed to talk with Lin and Naru and Bou-San, but she needed to be calm when she did it. Her idea was so ludicrous...

Her hands shook as she leaned forward to wipe condensation of the mirror. She needed to finish her hair and get out of there. The sooner she discussed things with the others the sooner they could get out of here.

She pulled back in shock, clutching her hand against her chest as if the silver glass had burnt her.

Her reflection stared back at her.

And yet it wasn't her reflection.

The Masako in the mirror was corpselike, pasty and pale. Dead skin hollowed over sunken cheeks. One eye was missing. The lips were cracked and crusty where blood or something fouler had dried there.

And worse, while she herself had backed away from the mirror in fear, bumping into the wall behind her, her reflection was smiling.

And leaning forward. She looked like she was ready to crawl out of the glass and into the room with her.

Her one eyed gleaming duly, her reflection ran one finger down the inside of the glass, like a child at the zoo trying to play with the animal inside the cage...

Masako screamed.

She didn't mean to, didn't remember consciously deciding to scream, and yet-

Yasu burst in the bathroom, looking around wildly. Lovers or not, normally

she'd be embarrassed by him seeing her in such disarray, but she didn't care.

He wrapped his arms around her, still looking around the room wildly.

"Masako, What is it? What's wrong?" He asked frantically. He rubbed his hands up and down her arms in a soothing gesture, but it did nothing to ease her shaking.

"I think we're all going to die here." She sobbed.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

 _She was little, so little._

 _She wasn't supposed to go into the woods. But she was bored and it was pretty._

 _And then she saw the kitten_.

" _Neko-chan..." She called, walking among the dark tree trunks._

 _Why was her older brother so afraid of the woods? He hated them, yet she always had fun._

 _There were butterflies and wildflowers and now, a kitten!_

 _The little black kitten pranced deeper into the shadows and she followed without hesitation._

 _A noise from behind her had her pausing._

 _Were there two kittens_?

 _She turned around, eyes widening in surprise._

 _A woman dressed as a priestess stood in the shadows._

 _Was there a festival today?_

 _She hadn't realized there was a festival!_

 _She tripped forward eagerly, walking towards the priestess._

 _Something silver gleamed in her hand_.

 _Why did she need a knife?_

 _Her scream was too late as pain sliced across her throat._

 _Her whimpers turned to gurgles as she slumped to the ground._

 _Her last sight was that of the kitten coming to stand next to her body, licking tentatively at the growing pool of her blood_.

Mai awoke in a choking shudder.

Something was wrong. She hadn't seen Gene the entire dream, but she could feel his warning as she looked into Naru's eyes. He was couched in front of the couch she'd been sleeping on, a finger held warningly to his lips.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

Noll stared grimly at his notes. It made no sense.

Spirits his medium couldn't see and Ayako and Bou-San couldn't sense?

Hundreds, per Mai.

Perhaps it had simply been a nightmare?

But what nightmare could cause his brother to leave Mai alone?

Something about all their theories were wrong. This thing had aspects of many cases. But it fit none of the normal profiles.

And though he had no way of being truly certain, his gut seemed to be telling him that Mai was seeing things too.

Things she wasn't talking about.

Thinking of Mai made him pause as the familiar pain shot through him.

Suddenly, at his feet, Hime growled.

She'd shown back up about an hour ago, much to Tanaka's relief. He'd left to help his Aunt with an errand, and Hime had decided to stay. She seemed to have taken a liking to Noll that bewildered and amused him a little.

But now her head was up, ears laid back as she growled softly. She'd turned to look through the open door behind his desk.

He stood quickly but silently.

Mai was asleep on the sofa in the other room.

She'd been exhausted and disoriented this morning, so he'd kept her with him as a precaution. That she'd allowed it spoke volumes for how badly her dream must have upset her.

He stood in the doorway, surveying the small sitting room. Other than the sofa Mai was laying on, there were only two armchairs and a sideboard.

At first glance, everything seemed fine. Mai was having a dream by the expression on her face, but that wasn't surprising. It wasn't ideal, but not something that should have set Hime off.

His gaze drifted to the floor, his eyes narrowing.

Small, wet footprints trailed from the doorway where he stood to the couch where Mai was laying, going behind the sofa. The sofa was high backed, resting on slender wooden legs.

Someone small enough, for instance, a young child, could reasonably hide behind it.

He felt his pulse pick up as he scanned the room again, senses on alert. His power stalked uneasily under the thin barrier of his skin.

It didn't like something sniffing around Mai.

He walked forward cautiously but without hesitation. Whatever was here was making a mistake if it thought of him as prey.

He crept around the sofa slowly, one hand reaching towards Mai in case he needed to grab her. It was dangerous to interrupt her visions, so he didn't want to wake her unless he had to.

The space behind the sofa was empty, with only a puddle of water on the ground to suggest anything had ever been there.

He flexed his shoulders, attempting to work out the tension. Looking around the room one last time, he walked back around to the front of the couch.

Crouching in front of Mai, he took advantage of her unconsciousness to study her face.

She looked tired. Not just from visions tired but deeply tired. She was too pale, and the distress of her nightmare danced across her features uneasily.

What if she had come to this place alone?

He carefully brushed a strand of hair out of her face. She was cool to the touch. She always seemed to run a little cold, compared to him. Some days he felt like a fire raged inside his skin.

He leaned his forehead against hers for a moment, Something he could never do while she was awake. He breathed in her familiar scent, willing his power to calm.

Breathing deeply one last time, he reached down for her blanket where it had fallen on the floor.

His fingers met a pool of water. He froze, looking down calmly.

Water was running across the wooden floor, coming from under the sofa. It was nearly half an inch deep, spreading out from under the sofa in nearly every direction.

For a minute, he considered just grabbing Mai. But as of yet, they'd never physically been attacked. They hadn't even seen their stalkers, other than in Mai's dream.

Enough was enough.

Slowly, he levered himself down, low enough to look under the high legged sofa.

Someone was standing behind the sofa.

Two someone's, actually.

Two small pairs of feet stood calmly on the other side. But if they'd once belonged to children, they did no longer.

Whatever these things were, they weren't human.

Their flesh was sagging and rotted away. Sores oozed pus and foulness. Water dropped down from wherever the legs came from, but the sofa blocked him from seeing anymore.

A small gasp had him meeting Mai's confused and frightened eyes. Slowly, he brought a finger to his lips to signal the need for her silence. Once he knew he had her attention, he slowly held up two fingers, tilting his head forward just a little, hoping she understood that he meant it to mean there were two spirits behind her.

She caught her lip in her bottom teeth as she lay on the couch, eyes widening in understanding. Then, looking at something over his shoulder, she slowly shook her head.

Then silently, she held up three fingers.


	42. Chapter 42

**A/N: And here we go kids.**

 **Where The Light Enters**

 **"Monsters In Plain Sight** "

The Tea Shop existed only in Mai's mind. It was an exact duplicate of the original, down to the smallest detail.

Except for one thing.

At the very back, behind the counter and the store rooms, there was a door.

In real life, this door would have led to the alley behind the store.

In Mai's mental Tea Shop, it didn't matter where it led.

Because she _never_ opened it.

While the original was a stained dark brown, the other one was painted white.

Chips of paint and splinters of wood were missing, as if the closet monster had tried to get _in_ rather than _out_.

Only one time had Gene dared to ask about it.

She had stopped what she was doing, staring at him with a blankness that had scared him.

"Some doors shouldn't be opened. That's how the monsters get in."

He hadn't asked again.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

It takes exactly three days to lose a person.

Or maybe just three minutes.

Or maybe bad things just come in threes; like three funerals, three ghosts, or three minutes without oxygen leaving a person brain dead.

Maybe three was just an all around shitty number.

All Mai knew was that in her case, it took exactly three days to lose a person.

That was how long it took for her to slip between the cracks and disappear, anyway.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Whew!" Yasu wiped the sweat off his brow as he dropped the last box unceremoniously onto the floor of Mai's new efficiency apartment.

"Not going to miss Naru with you around to put me to work..." He joked. He glanced at her quickly, a pained expression overtaking his smile. "Sorry, I shouldn't have said anything."

She shook her head, standing from the box she was unpacking. Forcing a smile on her face, she said "Don't worry about it, Yasu. He's gone back to England. It was always going to happen."

"Yeah, But you didn't know that." Yasu pointed out in concern.

His phone chirped at him and he pulled it out of his pocket as she just shrugged again.

He frowned, reading his new message. He sighed. "Hey, Mai, I'm really sorry about this, but Michiru needs me for something. Are you all good here?"

She pushed down the tiny flicker of resentment towards Michiru. She didn't care for the girl but Yasu was nuts about her.

"Sure, sure. Run away." She teased, pushing him towards the door.

"You're the best!" He said, giving her a quick, one sided hug.

"And don't forget it!" She called out to him as he hurried out, the door shutting behind him.

She stood, surveying her new place. It was smaller than the old one, just one long room that was kitchen/living room at one end and bedroom at the other. The bathroom had a separate door, of course, but that was about it.

No secrets here.

Still, it was a lot cheaper than her old place. Her new job at the Tea Shop afforded her plenty of hours, but the hourly pay was nothing compared to what she had made at SPR.

Still.

It was what it was.

Her new landlord, Suzuki-San, had explained to her that his elderly Aunt had lived there until she had passed away a few months back.

It was perfect for her new circumstances, and she was determined to make the best of it.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

The first night's dreams were the worst.

Maybe because it was all so new to her. Maybe because she couldn't control her astral projection, or perhaps it was because Gene wasn't there to guide her.

Maybe it was because she missed having Naru there to solve the case and save the day and remind her she wasn't crazy.

But one way or another, once the ghost realized Mai could see her in her sleep, she refused to give up.

The Elder Suzuki-San wanted justice.

Mai had just signed a lease with a man who had killed his own Aunt for her money.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"Pick up, pick up... _please_!" Mai was nearly crying as she tried dialing Bou-San again. She'd called Ayako and left three messages at the hospital, but she was working back to back shifts so she hadn't returned her calls.

" _You've reached Takigawa! Leave a message!_ "

She hung up in despair. She hadn't even had her cell phone for long enough to have John's number programmed in.

She read it off the scrap of paper she had saved, punching the numbers frantically.

"Hello, I'm trying to reach Father Brown?...Oh, he's out with visiting a parishioner? Two days? Could you please ask him to call back Mai Taniyama? Thanks."

She sighed, trying to calm herself.

Yasu couldn't help with this. Bou-San and Ayako were set to leave for a trip after Ayako's last shift ended.

 _Oh, god_.

She didn't have a choice.

She pulled out her last check stub. There was a contact number in the notes.

"SPR, How may I direct your call?" The woman's English was so quick it was difficult to understand.

"I'm trying to reach Oliver Davis." Mai had practiced the line repeatedly until she was sure she would be understood.

"I'm sorry, Professor Davis isn't taking engagements at the moment." The woman's voice had turned clinical and chilly.

Engagements?

She didn't want an appointment, she just needed to speak with him.

"My name is Tani- Mai Taniyama." She corrected herself. "We worked together at SPR in Tokyo. It is very important."

"I'm sorry. You must be confused. SPR doesn't have an office in Tokyo."

The woman's voice was snide now. She obviously thought Mai was lying to try and get to the famous Oliver Davis.

"Does he have an email address?" Surely she could just mail him directly and he could tell her what to do...

"I'm not at liberty to give out that information. But I'll be sure to let him know you called Ms. Taniyama."

Mai stared at the phone in disbelief. That woman had just hung up on her.

Okay. She had to talk to Bou-San and Ayako, _now_!

As if the universe was reading her mind, a text from Ayako popped through at that exact moment.

It was a picture of her and Bou-San. They were hugging each other, mile wide grins across both our their faces.

" _He proposed!_ " The caption read.

Mai's breath stalled in her chest.

How could she tell them now, of all days?

They had just gotten _engaged_. How could she ruin one of their happiest memories by calling and telling them about her murderous landlord?

And John wouldn't be back for a day or two, according to Father Toujo.

And she couldn't get through to Naru, and didn't even know _how_ to get a hold of Lin.

She'd already left a message with Masako's manager, for all the good it would do.

They were certainly closer than they were at the start of her employment with SPR, but they weren't exactly best friends.

She tried texting Yasu.

He was smart, maybe he'd have an idea even though he didn't deal with ghosts..."

" _Sorry, Mai! Let me call you tomorrow! Big fight with Michiru and I need to try and fix things!_ "

For one wild moment, she hated **all** of them.

Naru and Lin for leaving, Yasu for moving on, Masako for not caring, and even for Bou-San and Ayako for being so damn happy while she was here, alone, scared out of her mind.

Who else would believe her, the orphan who claimed to have psychic dreams? Sometimes she still didn't believe it...

But then she shook her head.

She refused to be that kind of person. She knew all of her ex coworkers would come running if she called.

Well, maybe not Naru and Lin.

But the point was, it wasn't that they didn't care. It was that they didn't know. She was bound to get a hold of someone in a day or two.

Surely she could stay a few more days. The landlord had no idea that she knew what he had done. There was no reason for him to hurt her.

All she had to do was last a few more days...

Surely she could last a few more days?

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

She couldn't last another day.

Without Gene, her powers felt out of control. She astral projected everywhere. She'd get stuck in the vision on Suzuki killing his aunt over and over again. The woman's ghost was relentless.

She hadn't slept last night either, not real rest, anyway, and she was so tired it was starting to make her hands shake.

And no one had called her back.

She knew it had only been two nights since this all started, but it somehow felt like a lifetime.

Like she was drowning while every person she ever knew stood around watching.

She knew no one would believe her. But she had to try.

She was going to the police.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

"And why did your landlord kill his aunt again?" The desk sergeant asked.

"For her money. She was going to leave it to charity instead of him after he cared for her all those years." Mai was practically crying with exhaustion and exasperation.

She could see the disbelieving looks being angled her way from the officers in the room.

She knew she looked like a nut case.

"And, let me get this straight. You saw this in a _dream_?" The man sneered at her.

She turned without saying another word. Tears blocking her vision, she never noticed the officer in the corner with a service dog at his side.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

She entered her apartment with trepidation. The room that once had seemed so cozy now seemed terrifying.

But she didn't have any money for a hotel.

It was only for one more night.

She could do this.

John, Ayako and Bou-San would all be back in town. Or she'd crash at Yasu's place even if it meant his crazy-jealous girlfriend broke up with him.

Hell, she'd go sleep in the doorway of Masako's manager's office if she had to.

But it was already after ten at night. She was broke and her phone had no battery left.

One. More. Night.

She searched the nearest box for her phone charger...

It had to be here somewhere.

A noise at her door had her freezing in place.

Slowly, the knob was turning.

It had to be the landlord.

He knew she _knew_...

She backed into her kitchen counter, hand scrabbling for a weapon, anything she could defend herself with.

Grasping a steak knife, she clutched the counter with her free hand as she watched the door silently swing open.

Suzuki stood there, a gun in his hand.

How?

How had he known?

"Taniyama-San, I bet you didn't know I used to be a police officer before I was shot in the line of duty. Now, I'm retired. A retired hero, in fact..." His voice was calm edged in crazy.

She began to shake as he walked towards her.

"So, imagine my shock when my old friend at the station house calls to inform me my new little tenant is downtown making all kinds of crazy accusations about me. Fortunately, everyone there knows me too well to believe a crazy teenage orphan. Plus, he mentioned she hadn't looked too well. He thought she might be sick. Or, you know...crazy. Maybe even crazy enough to hurt herself..."

He was close now...

 _Too close!_

He pointed the gun at her, and instinct took over.

Perhaps he expected her to freeze in fear but she'd seen too many terrifying things to not at least _try_ and save herself.

She was no hand to hand expert, though. Her swing went wild, imbedding the knife in his arm.

He howled in rage as she scrambled around him. He was quick despite his large size, though.

He easily maneuvered himself to block the apartment's lone exit.

Her screams going unanswered, she bolted into the bathroom in desperation, frantically locking the door behind her.

She was just in time, as the door suddenly shuddered in its frame under the onslaught of Suzuki's weight.

"And when I, out of the goodness of my heart, went to check on her in concern, the little **_BITCH_** stabbed me!" He was roaring the words now. Had there been any other tenants, someone would have called the cops by now.

But she was the only one.

And her phone was dead out there on her kitchen counter.

"Then, to my horror, she locked herself in the bathroom. It wasn't until I heard the gun go off I realized she had stolen my weapon."

He was taunting her now.

"Poor little orphan. No one believed your crazy story. Just like no one will believe I murdered you either. I'm a hero, after all."

He began banging on the door. She could hear something metallic hitting the other side.

Was he using her knife against it now?

She shrank against the wall in terrified desperation.

The worst of it all was, he was right.

No one was coming to save her.

No one even knew she needed saving.

All the times she'd been in trouble back at SPR, she'd always known someone was coming. Even if they didn't make it on time, she'd have at least known they had tried.

But this time it was different.

Because she was just the crazy girl who dreamed of ghosts. Her friends had all moved on with their lives, and somehow she'd gotten left behind.

And now she was going to die.

Would they believe she had actually shot herself?

They'd all noticed how upset she'd been after Naru left...

The door shuddered again, and Mai began crying quietly.

It wouldn't be long now.

Suddenly, two shots echoed out, rapid fire. She flinched instinctively, but nothing came through the bathroom door.

She froze, staring at the white painted wood like a prisoner watched the hangman's noose.

But the door was still.

No noise came from the other room except a low growl, and obviously she really had gone crazy unless her landlord was not just a murderer but a werewolf.

Slowly, a pool of blood began to seep under the door, oozing towards her where she sat crumpled against the wall.

"Taniyama-San! Are you alright?"

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In the end, they'd had to take the door off the hinges to get her out. She'd remained silent, crouched on the floor.

She hadn't responded to their questions, and Officer Tanaka had handled the brunt of it all.

In the end, he would lose his badge for shooting an ex cop armed only with a knife.

A catatonic witness who claimed to see ghosts wasn't considered very reliable.

At least they let him keep the work dog he had trained for the past three years.

Twelve hours later, she finally began answering the doctor's questions.

 _Nothing hurt._

 _She wasn't thirsty._

 _Yes please..._

 _No, thank you..._

 _ **Who did she want called**_?

She glanced at her phone. A kind nurse had tracked down a charger for it.

She had over a dozen missed calls and texts as everyone in her life suddenly seemed to realize they'd misplaced her.

Pictures of Bou-San and Ayako's trip.

Lengthy comments about how happy being with Michiru made Yasu.

Even Masako had left a professional sounding message.

No Naru, of course.

"Father Brown." She said faintly.

The Doctor smiled in approval, seeming to think a priest was a good choice to talk to.

But she chose John specifically because she didn't intend to talk.

And she knew he would keep her confidence.

The door in her mind was already closed.

She had to close it, or risk becoming that scared, broken, abandoned girl hiding in the bathroom all over again.

She didn't think Tanaka could save her a second time.

 ** _A/N: For those of you reading this project chapter by chapter, this placement may seem random. However, when all the chapters of the story are up, I think this placement will be pretty neat._**

 ** _As for the story itself. Mai is actually a really private person when it comes to her own pain. She also places others happiness above hers. She is also pretty good about taking care of herself in normal circumstances. So I think it could be entirely possible that through some horrible random coincidence, all the people who love her could be unavailable at the same time. Afterwards, she wouldn't risk their happiness or guilt by telling them what happened. Lastly, since Naru was originally in Japan in Secret, I thought it likely many people in SPR in Britain would not have known about it. Add the language barrier, and there you go._**

 ** _Afterwards, when things start going downhill for her loved ones, I think she would have been even more determined to keep the secret so she could convince them to count on her, and not see her as a victim._**


	43. Chapter 43

A/N: Three new foster kittens have come on board! Everyone welcome

Lucy, Linus and Schroeder as they are now the patron cats of this story!

Where The Light Enters

"Chapters Best Forgotten"

Mai watched Naru in trepidation. Staring at his face was easier than staring at the thing behind him.

It looked like a child, but it wasn't. It was like some horrible caricature of a child.

It was covered in burns, and she swore she could smell smoke and singed flesh. She had to fight the urge to gag, and she didn't even want to know why the floor under the sofa was wet.

She needed to tell Naru and the rest of the team about her dream, but first she and Naru needed to get out of that room.

A part of her wanted to just bury her face in his chest and let him deal with whatever these creatures were.

But she didn't get to do that.

Not anymore.

She raised two fingers, signaling to Naru with a nod of her head that she was ready. She was still in a prone position, which meant she was going to have to get upright quickly...

His hand reached out, grasping her forearm. She could feel power thrumming under his skin, but he seemed to have it under control.

For now.

She took a deep breath, closing her eyes.

From the other room, she heard the sounds of the other team members returning from their investigations. They were all due to conference together, but the others apparently hadn't noticed the drama taking place in the next room yet.

Naru's hand tensing on her arm was her only warning before he heaved her upright, straight into his arms. She scowled as she did her best to position herself facing the spirit blacking the door behind Naru.

She could here Naru chanting, a low murmur in what sounded like Chinese, perhaps something Lin had taught him. She wasn't sure how effective he could be without using his PK, but she didn't have time to worry because the not-child blocking the door was rushing towards Naru's exposed back.

"Rin-Pyou-Tou-Sha-Kai-" The syllables flew off her tongue, her recent anger and frustration lighting them with an intense inner fire.

The thing, whatever it was, flew back into the wall with a horrid screech. Suddenly, Naru yanked her closer to his side as something flew by her face.

Whatever was going on behind her was clearly escalating...

"The door's clear!" She screamed. She could her exclamations from the other room as their teammates discovered their predicament, but they were already in motion. Naru races for the door, dragging her behind him.

Though the room was large, it was still only a matter of a few feet to the door.

She nearly made it before something caught her arm.

She shrieked, but refused to look back. Naru did, looking grim and a moment later whatever had caught a hold of her was gone, but Naru suddenly stumbled.

He'd used his powers on whatever had grabbed her...

Refusing to lose momentum, she dived under his shoulder, bearing his weight as best she could as she stumbled towards the door.

John and Bou-San were there, pulling them through while Yasu slammed the door shut. Mai could see one of Ayako's wards taped to the door on their side.

She stumbled to the ground, losing her balance under Naru's weight. Though he'd gone pale, he hadn't passed out, and he managed to shift enough to avoid landing on her.

"What was that?" Tanaka asked while Hime growled threateningly at the door.

Mai could only shake her head breathlessly. Using the Nine Cuts and then carrying Naru had left her gasping.

"I don't-"

Suddenly, the door shuddered, as if a great force had rammed it from the other side.

And Mai froze.

Because she realized that while every other door in and out of base was brown, this one was white...

Oh, kami, Not now...

"Poor little crazy girl..." The voice that sang out was not in the least childish. Apparently whatever this thing was, it was tired of dressing up like dead children.

"Everyone will think you did it to yourself..."

She began to shake.

It had decided to dress up as one of her personal demons.

"What is it talking about?" Yasu asked, glancing around at all the other team members. Masako was glued to his side, staring at the door as it shuddered and shook in its frame.

"Not what." Naru said, pushing to his feet. "Who."

Mai found herself standing also, just now realizing that Naru had never let go of her hand.

"Mai..." Tanaka said warningly, the only other person in the room able to understand the monster's cruel game.

"Shhh." She shook her head, unwillingly taking another step back as a particularly loud "bang" reverberated the door.

"No one's coming to save you!" The voice bellowed and if Tanaka hadn't been standing there, white as a ghost himself, she'd have thought she was going crazy.

It sounded just like her old landlord...

She shuddered again.

"Mai?" John asked questioningly, walking closer.

She just pressed her lips together as she stared at the door, wincing at each new shout and bang.

Suddenly, the noise stopped.

"The blood..." Mai hadn't even realized she had said the words out loud until she saw her team mates startled looks. But there was no time for questions, because as they watched, blood began sleeping under the door.

Everyone backed up, staring in horrified fascination as the pool widened, reaching out across the floor like fog rolling across the sea.

And then the blood itself began to change. The surface began to stretch, as if it were some elastic substance and not a linguist.

It was as if the pool of blood was a door covered in plastic wrap, and something was trying to come through...

Hands, misshapen and twisted reached up, grasping the air, searching for purchase, like something climbing out of a well...

"No one's going to save you, you little bitch..." The sound was no longer coming from behind the door. The thing in the blood was talking, a horrendous face straining to break free. The words echoed from its gaping maw, and Mai screamed without meaning too.

Suddenly, Bou-San was chanting, as was Ayako and Lin.

The thing shrieked, jerking and twitching wildly. It reminded her of that old American movie, the Wizard of Oz, where the witch began to melt at the end.

Before their stunned eyes, the pool of blood began to shrink, retracting back under the door from where it had come from.

Within moments, the blood was gone without a trace.

"Mai, Mai...are you okay?" Ayako was in front of her, staring at her worriedly. Over her shoulders she could see Bou-San and Uasu.

Pull it together...

"I'm fine..." She said faintly.

"Was that something you dreamed?" Lin asked.

A part of her wanted to say yes, to agree with Lin's guess. That she had dreamed of that happening to someone else and seeing it in real life had simply upset her.

But her eyes met John's, and she stilled.

His eyes seemed to speak to her, to urge her to tell the truth.

But why? Why now, of all times. All it could do was spread her pain between the people she loved.

She didn't want to be someone who paid her pain forward.

But John's gaze didn't waver, and she was the one who looked away first.

"I didn't dream it." She mumbled quietly. "I lived it."

She'd survived it. Surely she could stand to tell it just one more time.

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She told the story as quickly as she could, hearing the dispassion in her own voice.

All around her, shock and horror bloomed on her companions faces, just as she'd know it would.

Lin seemed the calmest, and Yasu and Bou-San the most outwardly upset.

But she could sense a thrumming energy coming from the man to her right.

"But you could have told us afterward!" Ayako exclaimed.

"You has your miscarriage just a few weeks after that." Mai said quietly.

"Then you should have told me!" Yasu half-yelled.

"You...weren't in a very good place." She replied before he could say anything else. He froze, a pained expression on his face.

"And...John was the only one you told?" She could hear the hurt in Bou-San's voice.

She sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose.

John spoke up then. "Father Toujo and I helped Mai with the logistics of the court proceedings. She was still a minor at the time, so the court agreed to seal the records per her request.

"Tanaka lost his job for shooting your landlord." Naru's voice was flat, but she could hear the rage simmering in it.

"Suzuki had a lot of friends on the force. Even if I had been retained, things wouldn't have gone smoothly for me. I agreed to sign a non disclosure in return for them releasing Hime to me. I then turned to private investigation." Tanaka said.

"Non disclosure?" Masako asked.

"Had Mai decided to sue the precint, she probably could have one. She was attacked with an hour of leaving after trying to make a complaint." Tanaka said.

"But the publicity..." Naru said.

Mai nodded, ready for the discussion to be over. "It would have been fodder for every crazy magazine in the supermarket."

She was ready for this to be over. She could see the hurt on everyone's faces. She had known telling her story would do nothing but make everyone else feel like crap.

"We lost you." Masako said quietly.

Mai stilled, looking at her friend.

"We were barely speaking at the time." She pointed out.

"That didn't stop you from coming after me when that spirit took me." Masako crosses the room quickly, embracing Mai.

With that, the spell was broken.

Suddenly, Mai was being hugged from every direction. She felt the tears well up, tightening her throat, but she forced them down with a smile.

"You guys do realize this happened like, three years ago, right? This ghost is working with old material..." The joke wasn't that funny, but she needed to break the tension or she really would cry. The circle parted around her, and she found herself facing Naru again.

"Did you call SPR?" He asked, still as serious as when her story began.

It was the one part she'd left out. In another life, she might have lied to make it easier for him.

But she really didn't have anything left to give him but the truth...

"I tried. Maybe the message got lost in translation." She said finally.

He stared at her for a long moment, and everyone else in the room seemed to vanish for a moment.

Suddenly he turned, locking his hands across the back of one of the conference room chairs and flinging it halfway across the room. Her breath caught, and Lin and Bou-San started towards Naru, but he held a hand up, signaling them to give him some space.

She could still see the wildness in his eyes, feel it echoed in her racing heartbeat, but otherwise, he gained control of himself quickly.

He walked over to the fallen chair, setting it upright once more.

"Alright. So what is this thing, and how do we kill it." He asked calmly.

Mai blinked at him. They'd exorcised spirits before, but she'd never heard him use the word "kill" before.

"It won't be as easy as that, I'm afraid. Because the spirits aren't actually here." Masako said grimly.

"What do you mean?" Naru said intensely.

"It's a curse. A Hollow Curse, if I'm not mistaken."

Lin gaped and Bou-San sucked a breath in through his teeth.

"I'm afraid I haven't heard that term before." Ayako said, and Mai nodded.

"A living curse." Naru stated. "A curse created and maintained through repeated sacrifices. It's like a living being."

"And it's encompassing the entire village." Masako agreed.

"That makes no sense. I lived here for years and saw more today than the entire time I lived here." Tanaka argued.

"A living curse requires maintenance. In return for the sacrifices that power it, it offers benefits to the people who created it. Probably the ancestors of the villages." Lin explained.

"My dream!" Mai exclaimed. "I dreamt I was one of the murdered children. I was killed by a women in a Miko's outfit."

Naru nodded. "At least someone in this village is responsible for the curse's upkeep."

"But why have I never seen activity like this before?" Tanak insisted.

"You brought in outsiders, threats. The Hollow Curse is called a living curse because it truly acts like a living being. We're a threat to it. The things we've been seeing, they are like the curses immune system. It's defending itself." Masako said quietly.

A/N: The Hollow Curse is a device of my own making.


End file.
